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Everything the Crimson Tide Players Said After the 2021-22 National Championship Game

Alabama was in the title game for the sixth time in seven years under Nick Saban, facing Georgia for the second time with a championship on the line.

Since Nick Saban’s arrival at Alabama in 2007, members of each one of his recruiting classes had all played in at least one national championship. 

The 2009 class tops the list with three to their name while the 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017 classes each achieved two national titles during their time in Tuscaloosa. 

The 2007, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020 classes can each claim one national title with the latter group still having time to add to that number. 

That means that each class has also won a national title, except for one. The Class of 2021, although Alabama will probably be the preseason No. 1 team heading into the 2022-23 season. 

Here's what the players had to say after facing Georgia in the title game.

Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr.

Q. Bryce, how much of an effect did it have for you and the offense when Jameson went down, and without John as well?

BRYCE YOUNG: Losing someone like J-Mo is tough. But that's been a theme for us is overcoming adversity. A lot of guys stepped up in a big moment, and those guys that we were used to. And I'm tremendously proud of how we played offensively, how people stepped up. I'm tremendously proud of how everyone around me played. And it's on me to perform better. People stepped up in big moments when they were supposed to. And we had chances, had opportunities. And at the end of the day I didn't get the ball into the end zone. And that's on me. I love my guys. I'll forever love my guys. I wouldn't trade my guys for anything. And I'm -- it's a little tough that I let them down today. But I love those guys and they stepped up. Adversity has been our thing all year. I've just gotta do better with it.

Q. Bryce, you had mentioned that you feel like you let the team down. Can you elaborate maybe on why you feel that way? 

BRYCE YOUNG: We had a lot of opportunities, moved the ball relatively well. We did some stuff well. We didn't execute. And at the end of the day that's on me. For us not finishing drives like we want to, it's just not executing. We worked tremendously hard, and the guys around me they all worked super hard. And I don't feel like they deserve this. So it's something that I have to take from. And I'm just proud of my guys. I love my guys, every one of them, both sides of the ball. I wish I could have been better for them tonight. 

Q. Not to harp on finishing drives but what happened in some of the red-zone plays in your eyes? And why do you feel you weren't able to get some of the plays in the end zone? 

BRYCE YOUNG: Just didn't execute, one reason or another. Didn't execute. And ball touches my hands every play. And it's my job to put the ball into the end zone. I wasn't able to do that tonight.

So it was different things. But at the end of the day, as leaders, it's on me. We just weren't able to execute and finish like we wanted to. 

Q. Bryce, based on how they pressured you last game, what changes did you see or what kind of things did they continue doing as far as pressuring you? 

BRYCE YOUNG: They switched some things up. We knew that we might get some different looks. Some looks took me a little bit just to get down. The O line battled and fought all day, all season, and some of that stuff may look like, may look interior, may look like scheme, but there's a lot I have to do with that. And I think that they switched up some stuff, had different tendencies. And I have to process that faster, just make the right play for the team better than I did tonight. So they changed some things, and I wasn't able to execute. 

Q. The fumble that Georgia had, how much of a momentum change and (indiscernible) did that feel like for you guys at that point? 

WILL ANDERSON JR.: It was a good shift of energy for us. That's something that we needed to get us going. Overall, I feel like I'm so proud of these guys. I told them before the game and after the game because all season long we faced so much adversity. So many people doubted us. The type of players we have in the locker room, the type of coaches we have, and for everybody to keep fighting and never give up, everybody showed tremendous effort when we was out on the field. Nobody hung their head low. It was the same with the Auburn game and this whole year, everybody has been so positive. It took us a while to get to playing to the Alabama standard. I think once we reached that and people started playing in there, we really started playing football. And like I said I'm so proud of these guys. We didn't get the outcome we wanted. But overall I feel like we had a really good season and we're just looking forward to getting better this offseason and getting ready for next season. 

BRYCE YOUNG: That was a big momentum shift. The defense fought and battled, played amazing for us the whole night. Those are just good momentum shifts, and offensively you just have to do a better job of capitalizing, carrying that momentum out.

So at the time it felt good, but obviously (indiscernible) but to echo off of what Will said, I'm proud of my guys, proud of my team and the things we did this year. Obviously not the result we wanted. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love everyone in the locker room. And I'm just happy to be part of the team.

Brian Robinson Jr., Henry To'oTo'o and DJ Dale

Q. Brian, what was it like when Jameson went down? Coach Saban said he wanted to go back in the game, but what was he like and what was his demeanor after he got hurt? 

BRIAN ROBINSON JR.: Jameson, he kept his head up. He just made sure he kept the team motivated on the sideline, with not being able to to be out on the field. So he kept positive energy over on the sideline. Kept guys motivated with him over on the sideline. 

Q. Brian, how important was it for you to sort of get involved in the receiving game and for sort of the variety of guys to step up? Was that sort of an adjustment process for you as the second half went on? 

BRIAN ROBINSON JR.: That's part of my job to be efficient in the passing game as much as the running game. And with us losing a key receiver, I knew I had to step up and be more efficient in my passing game as much as my running game. Also some young receivers had to step up and make plays when their number was called. So we just had to make some adjustments in that area. 

Q. Henry and DJ, defensively you guys held up pretty well against their offense most of the game, but what do you think changed late with those last two touchdowns? 

DJ DALE: I wouldn't say anything changed. We just needed to do a better job stopping the run. They didn't do really anything different. It was just on us stopping the run. Q. Brian, Bryce Young said he felt like he disappointed you guys. I wanted to know if you could have a message back to him, what would you say to him about that? 

BRIAN ROBINSON JR.: Bryce is a great player, a very smart player. I would just tell him stay positive. Keep his head up, keep working hard. He can do whatever he wants to do. 

Q. What do you guys have to work on in the offseason to get back to this game? I know probably this game will be over in two minutes and you guys gotta get ready for next season. What do you guys have to do? 

BRIAN ROBINSON JR.: Guys gotta come back next year with that mindset that just gotta put in work throughout the whole year. I have faith in these guys coming back next year. I know they'll come back and be great. Just gotta focus on what's next, ahead of them. 

HENRY TO'OTO'O: Just about never losing that tension you're feeling, remembering how this feels, coming back in the offseason and grinding harder than ever so we don't feel this again. 

DJ DALE: I would say the same thing we always do: We always work hard every offseason. So it's like the same. We've got a sour taste in our mouth coming off a loss the same way we always do, but just get back to work.

Slade Bolden and Christian Harris 

Q. Slade, how tough was it to see J-Mo go down with that injury and how big was it for some of the younger guys to step up as receiver when he went out? 

SLADE BOLDEN: It's tough for any of our teammates to go out and go down. Losing J-Mo, he's such a big part of our offense, and he's such a great player and teammate it was hard. But that's what we train for. That's what we do. Practice hard. Everybody's prepared to step up because you never know when you're going to get your next shot. So I feel like everybody did a good enough job. And we just couldn't make the plays and we couldn't finish tonight. And that's the story of it. 

Q. Slade, just emotionally when Jameson went down, what kind of an effect did that have on the receiver group? And what did you do to kind of help step up and rally everyone together?

SLADE BOLDEN: We knew we couldn't dwell on it too much. When J-Mo went down, we were, like, all right, next man up. We all had to kind of step up, not just one person. I feel like I laid my heart out there and tried my best, and I know everybody else did. It was just one of those days. 

Q. Slade, after the experience these receivers had in this game what's the important thing for them to take away from this game? 

SLADE BOLDEN: Just the feeling of losing and that you don't want to feel that way again, especially in a game like this. That's all I've got.

Q. Christian, what maybe for the defense didn't go quite as right in the fourth quarter as maybe it did in the first three quarters? 

CHRISTIAN HARRIS: We didn't execute. They were making plays because we weren't executing, weren't fitting the runs right, Wasn't doing our job. Good teams will capitalize on those mistakes that you make. And you can't afford to do that in big-time games. 

Q. Christian, your forced fumble, first describe the play. And, second, while the review was going on, did it sort of feel like the game was hanging in the balance of how that play was going to be judged? 

CHRISTIAN HARRIS: I don't really remember -- I remember we made a big play but -- all I remember we lost the game. I mean that play obviously didn't have too much of an impact. So I didn't do enough, personally. I feel like we probably could have done better on defense. But just gotta take it to the chin like a man.