Alabama’s connections to all 8 teams in the College Football Playoff

The state of Alabama may not have any teams participating in the College Football Playoff this season but that doesn’t mean the state’s influence can’t be felt throughout the sport’s postseason championship chase. We found connections of all 8 of the remaining playoff teams to the state of Alabama.

Penn State

Head coach James Franklin coached at Vanderbilt before taking the Penn State job and he learned then that recruiting the state of Alabama was a great way to add talent to your team. Penn State boasts four players from the state of Alabama: cornerback A.J. Harris from Phenix City, wide receiver Harrison Wallace III from Montgomery, linebacker Dakaari Nelson from Livingston and offensive lineman Henry Boehme from Mountain Brook.

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen hired now-Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer for his first big offensive coordinator position at Indiana.

Boise State

Not many connections to the state of Alabama way out in the Land of the Blue Turf but head coach Spencer Danielson got his big break into coaching from then-Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin, who would later go on to become the head coach at Auburn.

Texas

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian often credits Nick Saban for saving his career. The former USC and Washington head coach was out of a job after a failed tenure in the NFL when Saban hired him as an analyst and eventually elevated him to offensive coordinator. Sarkisian led the Crimson Tide to one of the greatest offensive seasons in college football history and a national championship during the 2020 Covid season.

The Longhorns have also welcomed in two transfer players from Alabama in wide receiver Isaiah Bond, best known for his miraculous touchdown catch in the 2023 Iron Bowl, and tight end Amari Niblack. Defensive end Justin Finkley hails from Trussville, Alabama where he played for powerhouse Hewitt-Trussville High School.

Arizona State

The Sun Devils boast two players on their roster from the state of Alabama: wide receiver Malik McClain from Daphne and defensive back Shamari Simmons from Ashland.

Head coach Kenny Dillingham played at Arizona State but he has a connection to the state of Alabama as well: he served as Gus Malzahn’s offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2019, helping to lead quarterback Bo Nix to SEC Rookie of the Year honors.

Ohio State

The Buckeyes have had one of the best defenses in the country this season thanks in no small part to the addition of a former University of Alabama star. Safety Caleb Downs transferred to Ohio State following last season and has been a major contributor all season long.

Another key transfer pickup for the Buckeyes was running back Quinshon Judkins, a former Ole Miss player who originally hails from Pike Road, Alabama.

Two other players transferred from Alabama to Ohio State for 2024 though neither is likely to see the field during the playoffs. Backup quarterback Julian Sayin and offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin both defected from Alabama to the Buckeyes in 2024.

Oregon

The Nick Saban coaching tree has many branches and Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is one of the strongest branches of that tree in 2024. Lanning served as an assistant at Alabama during the Crimson Tide’s 2015 national championship season, where he worked alongside Kirby Smart who eventually hired him to be part of his coaching staff at Georgia.

Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi was also a Nick Saban disciple, serving as the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator for two seasons under Saban.

Wide receiver Traeshon Holden is one of the key playmakers for the Ducks on offense but he started his career at Alabama before transferring to Oregon after the 2022 season. Other Oregon players with connections to the state include receiver Tez Johnson from Pinson, and defensive back Peyton Woodyard who transferred to Oregon from Alabama.

Notre Dame

There is no player that has been more crucial to this playoff run for the Fighting Irish than quarterback Riley Leonard, who transferred to Notre Dame from Duke after the 2023 season. Leonard is an Alabama native, hailing from Fairhope where he was one of the state’s top high school players.

Georgia

By far the playoff team with the most connections to Alabama, watching the Georgia Bulldogs will probably remind you of watching some of the Alabama teams from the height of the Nick Saban era and that’s no coincidence. The Bulldogs are led by Saban’s longtime protege Kirby Smart, who served as an assistant to Saban at multiple stops during his career and was the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator from 2008 through 2015.

Other members of Smart’s coaching staff also have connections to the state of Alabama. This year, Smart hired former Alabama defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson to be his co-defensive coordinator. Robinson is doubly connected to the state of Alabama as a former Auburn player.

Georgia’s other defensive coordinator, Glenn Schumann, spent 8 years at Alabama as an assistant while the Bulldogs’ offensive line is coached by Auburn legend Stacy Searels who once blocked for Bo Jackson during his days playing for the Tigers.

The Bulldogs have two players from the state of Alabama on their roster, including starting offensive lineman Drew Bobo who graduated from Auburn High School while his father, Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, was an assistant coach at Auburn.

Stay tuned to Bama Buzz for more college football news from the state of Alabama.