What does a title game in Miami mean for recruiting in South Florida? Nick Saban explains
No one in all of college football recruits at the level of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama can typically take its pick of top prospects from any state and at least be a top contender in their recruitment.
Typically, those recruiting efforts bring the Crimson Tide to Florida — the nation’s most talent-rich state and a state bordering Alabama. The Crimson Tide has more players from Florida than any state other than Alabama and more starters from the state than any other. Almost half of those Floridians are from South Florida, specifically.
On Monday, the No. 1 Crimson Tide will face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2021 College Football National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium. Alabama will be in the spotlight across the country and even more so in one of its favorite recruiting destinations.
Can playing the National Championship in Miami Gardens further benefit the Crimson Tide in their recruiting efforts in the Miami metropolitan area?
“Our program is built to try to create value for players so that they can be more successful in life for having been involved in the program, and I think that the more success you have on the field, the more interest you create — whatever that circumstance is,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “Certainly, playing in a game like this allows you to be sort of the center of attention for at least this week of the game and maybe beyond. All those things are probably positives when it comes to recruiting.”
The Crimson Tide’s roster features 16 players from Florida, including seven players and four starting defensive backs from the Miami metro area.
Those seven: wide receiver Xavier Williams from Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna, wide receiver Thaiu Jones-Bell from Miami Gardens Carol City, defensive lineman Braylen Ingraham from Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, defensive back Daniel Wright from Lauderdale Lakes Boyd Anderson, defensive back Jordan Battle from St. Thomas Aquinas, cornerback Patrick Surtain II from Plantation American Heritage and cornerback Josh Jobe, who is originally from Miami, but played his senior season at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut.
No. 3 Ohio State has five players from Florida, albeit none from the Miami area.
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Waddle a ‘game-time decision’
Jaylen Waddle practiced throughout last week, Saban said, and the star wide receiver is “a game-time decision” for the CFP National Championship.
Waddle will go through pregame warm-ups, Saban said, and Waddle and Alabama (12-0, 10-0 Southeastern) will jointly make a judgment on the junior’s status once they’re concluded.
“He has been able to practice to some degree,” Saban said. “The biggest challenge is can he sustain in the game and it’ll be a game-time decision as to whether he thinks he can play, and go out there and do his job well enough to contribute to the team. And we won’t know that until we get out there after pregame warm-up.”
Waddle was a first-team All-American as a return specialist in 2019, according to the Football Writers Association of American and Sporting News, and he was leading the Crimson Tide in receiving yards at the time a midseason injury.
Waddle played in just five games in the regular season before he fractured his left ankle. He has 25 catches for 557 yards and four touchdowns this season, plus three carries for 12 yards. As an All-American in 2019, Waddle had 33 catches for 560 yards and six touchdowns, and scored two return touchdowns. He was Alabama’s fourth leading receiver and began the 2020 season as a starter alongside Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
Saban originally said Waddle was out for the year after he fractured the ankle on the first play of the Crimson Tide’s fifth game, but he was able to return to practice Tuesday ahead of the title game.
Saban is also optimistic about the status of LaBryan Ray and said the star defensive tackle is “probable” after he practiced this week. Ray has been out since early in the season with an elbow injury, and logged 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack in four games before going down.
Malachi Moore, however, remains “very questionable,” Saban said. Alabama has not specified what the defensive back’s injury is after he was a surprise scratch for the Crimson Tide’s 31-14 win against the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2021 Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. The freshman has recorded 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown, this season.
The latest on Justin Fields
The Buckeyes (7-0, 5-0 Big Ten) remained coy about Justin Fields’ status throughout last week and Ryan Day remained so on the eve of the title game.
It’s clear the star quarterback will suit up for the Championship, but the extent of his right torso injury remains unknown and Day didn’t provide any additional clarity Sunday.
“Justin has had a good week of practice,” the Ohio State coach said when asked whether he expected the junior to be close to 100 percent for the Championship. “He’s done a really good job preparing, and I think that’s the thing that he felt like he did a good job going into last game was just preparing at a high level, and he’s continued to do that this week.”
Fields took a crushing helmet-first hit in the Buckeyes’ 49-28 win against the No. 2 Clemson Tigers in the 2021 Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, but only missed one play before returning to cap the second-quarter drive with one of his Sugar Bowl-record six touchdown passes. Fields finished seventh in Heisman voting this year and has gone 141 of 192 for 1,906 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games. He also has run for 316 yards and five touchdowns on 75 carries.
This story was originally published January 10, 2021 at 11:15 AM.
