Florida Natives on Alabama's Roster Want To Culminate 2020 Season with 18th National Title
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — For 15 of the University of Alabama's scholarship players who are from the state of Florida, Monday's night matchup inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with No. 3 Ohio State is a homecoming that hopes to result in the Crimson Tide's 18th national title.
"We're all very excited to come back home and play in the National Championship," Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II, a Plantation, Fla. native said. "You know, all our families are going to be there. They're going to be excited, repping the hometown is an exciting feeling, knowing how much tradition you've brought into the South Florida world, we did. But, you know, it's going to be an exciting moment and we're going to have fun out there. We're just going to enjoy the moment.
Starting in Alabama's secondary, four starters hail from the Sunshine State including Surtain and cornerback Josh Jobe, and safeties Jordan Battle and Daniel Wright.
Jobe is from Miami, while Battle and Wright are from Ft. Lauderdale. The home-state connections have played a pivotal in building chemistry throughout the season, helping Alabama reach the sport's biggest stage.
"It's fun," Battle said. "Coming from South Florida we all kind of have the same lingo, you know. We just create — we have such a great bond coming from out of the same area. I grew up playing with players like D-Wright, playing against Pat, playing against Josh Jobe. It's just very fun to be playing against and competing for a National Championship now coming from the same area."
On offense, the Crimson Tide's starting signal caller Mac Jones and left tackle Alex Leatherwood are both former Florida residents from Jacksonville and Pensacola, respectively.
"It is really cool, just being from Florida and getting a chance to go back there, and then playing in Miami is a great city,” the 2020 Davey O'Brien winner said. “But at the end of the day, it's just another game, and we've got to go out there and play our game, and Ohio State is going to do the same. They're going to play the game just like it's any other game, and we're just looking forward to that.”
Like in years past, coach Nick Saban and company have raided the Sunshine State of its talent and 2021 is no different.
Six signees from Florida include wide receivers Agiye Hall, Christian Leary, and Jacorey Brooks, defensive ends Dallas Turner and Keanu Koht, and offensive tackle JC Latham will be suiting up for the crimson and white next season.
So, familiarity in the area is key for the Crimson Tide.
Along with wins on the recruiting trail, Alabama holds a 6-4 record in postseason contests in the city of Miami. More recently, during the Saban era, the Crimson Tide defeated Notre Dame in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, 42-14, and Oklahoma in a CFP semifinal game in the 2018 Orange Bowl, 45-34.
With all eyes on the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes, Battle is confident that those home-state roots can propel him to shine in the biggest game of his young career.
"It's going to be a great time playing in Miami, my hometown — well, close to my hometown, having a lot of family there, you know, getting a chance to play in Miami in the Hard Rock Stadium. I grew up watching the Dolphins in there. How South Florida prepared us for this, you know, we grew up with speed, track, basketball, playing every sport. We come out, we run, just run straight out of our mom's house. We run. That's what we do.
"So that's how South Florida prepared us for moments like these."
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m (CT) on will be broadcasted on almost every ESPN channel and its family of networks. A win in the national championship game is always nice, but a win over No. 3 Ohio State back home, in a season that no one thought was possible due to COVID-19, will be even sweeter for Alabama's Sunshine State natives.
"To be honest, I love Florida. I think it's the best state ever,” Leatherwood, the 2020 Outland Trophy winner said. “I'm extremely grateful and happy to have the opportunity to play in the national championship, of course, but it also being at home in the crib is a great feeling. I'm super excited for it."
