Alabama Crimson Tide College Football Pregame Quote, 12/27/2021

Give us an opening statement about your excitement about playing in the College Football Playoff versus Cincinnati before we open the floor for questions.

Definitely a huge blessing to be here. Team’s excited. We’re all excited. It’s a huge blessing and a testament to the hard work we’ve put in this season. Just got to be able to finish strong, keep our head focused for this week. Huge challenge for us. Cincinnati is great team. They do a lot of great things on offense and defense. We’re looking forward to the challenge.

Give us some insight on what the last month has been since winning the SEC championship and getting to this point landing in Dallas.

Definitely fundamental football. Going back to watching previous games throughout the weeks that we had and just trying to clean up our fundamentals. Being able to face little things that we can improve on and use during this game and be able to execute on the field during this game. These past couple weeks and this past month has been huge for us.

Pete Golding was asked about the turning point in the other press conference of this season on the defense. What do you think was the turning point for you guys?

I feel like the turning point for everybody on this whole entire team was when we lost versus Texas A&M. We kind of just molded and came together as a team. It’s a feeling you never want to feel again. Being able to take a loss, taking it to the chin. It’s something that we never, ever wanted to feel again as a team. We kind of came together as a team to be able to do what we have to do to be able to be in the position that we are now.

I’m curious for you transferring into Alabama, is this kind of what you envisioned when you made the decision to go there, ending up in these games? And what do you think about the fit between you and the team has allowed for you to have such a good season this year?

Obviously, when you come to Alabama, you’re going to compete for championships. For me, I just want to be able to come and mold with the guys, be a brother to everybody, and just be that guy they can depend on either on or off the field. Just be a good brother and good friend to them.

You come to Alabama to play for championships. I honestly think it’s just a bond we had and the bond I created with everybody to be able to have this success. Your relationship doesn’t only last on the field but off the field. It’s a true testament to everybody on our team.

In your first year here at Alabama, what do you feel like is maybe the one area or areas that Pete Golding has helped you the most in terms of your growth as a player?

Definitely knowing the entire defense and knowing what everybody is supposed to do. Coach P is a great coach at literally everything, honestly. He knows how to critique the little things. I think he’s really helped me in my game in the little things and the critique that I need to make. So I appreciate everything he’s done for me.

A lot of the questions from Alabama and Cincinnati people have been about Jerome Ford obviously being a former Alabama player. You didn’t play with him. I’m just curious from a guy who didn’t play with him, what have you seen on film from him?

I mean, he’s a ball player. He can play ball. Cincinnati’s whole entire team can play ball. Jerome Ford is one of those guys that they depend on him to make explosive runs. He does a great job of it. So I think he’s a really, really good player, and it’s a huge challenge for us to be able to stop him.

I’m just curious, there’s players on both sides of the ball, both teams who have transferred into the programs or transferred, in the case of Jerome [Ford], from Alabama to Cincinnati. You entered the transfer portal and ended up at Alabama. What was that process like? And what do you think the transfer portal has done for college football?

I think for me personally, it was a really long process, a long decision that I had to make. But I honestly think the transfer portal is good. A lot of people are able to find what’s best for them. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand, is we’re human, too. Players are human, too. And we have a life to live. And we want to have a successful life, too. I think the transfer portal is huge. It’s a blessing for a lot of people, and you can see people using the advantages of it.

Kind of a follow-up to that transfer portal question, how hard ultimately is it when you are a high school senior to make that decision when it comes to committing to a place? And do you think sometimes maybe players just need to kind of go somewhere, get a lay of the land, and figure out what’s best for them, and then ultimately use the transfer portal to their advantage?

That’s up to the person, players on their decisions. It’s them, it’s their decision. That’s how I feel about it. It’s your decision, honestly. I ain’t going to lie.