“It was obvious he had no business being with the freshman,” Streiff said. He started that year as Cathedral won a state championship. Ekiyor joined the varsity squad that day and never looked back. The offensive line coach looked back at coach Rick Streiff. He drove the kid almost 10 yards before he could even recover. He was supposed to take only three steps, but he didn’t stop there.

“Ever since then, after that game, his confidence was through the roof.” “That game gave him so much confidence that he can play with the elite and he is elite and he can beat the elite and play at a very high level,” said Taylor Kelly, Mater Dei’s quarterbacks coach. On the final play, he kept the ball on a read-option play and broke into the end zone with 1:09 left. Trailing by three, Young went 6-for-6 down the field, hitting some crucial third-down throws. The game that was broadcast on a Fox Sports regional channel was filled to the brim with four- and five-star talent, and in the final minutes, IMG looked primed to win. 1 in the country while Mater Dei held the No. “Watching him give it his all and try to do everything he could.” Bryce Young’s breakoutīefore the Iron Bowl drive, Young had the IMG Academy drive. “Just having him out there kept us in the game against a team that was pretty superior to us,” Alumbaugh said. “His presence out there, it uplifted our program.”ĭe La Salle ended up losing 35-21, but To’oTo’o walked away a legend. He played the next day, broken foot and all. To’oTo’o wasn’t about to miss the last game of his high school career.

That wasn’t an option for the future Alabama linebacker, though. “Once he bought in, it was over with.”Īlabama football fans probably would, too. “You ask him to do something, he’s going to do it,” Rogers said. They talked, and she decided to trust the coach. His mom, Tereon Anderson, called Rogers to understand the thought process. SEC defensive ends are like you, son.’ And he went home and cried to his mom about it.” “He wanted to play fullback,” defensive coordinator Will Rogers said. In fact, he wouldn’t be playing defense at all.Īnderson was heading into his sophomore year when the new coaches at Dutchtown High School in Georgia said they wanted him to play defensive end. He wouldn’t have led the nation with 34.5 tackles for loss in 2021. If it had been up to Anderson five years ago, he wouldn’t be chasing SEC quarterbacks today. Now he's 16 and 'my best friend'ġ5 YEARS OF NICK SABAN: Celebrate Nick Saban's 15 epic seasons at Alabama football with our special book! Will Anderson Jr.’s crucial change The Tuscaloosa News asked several of their high school coaches the same question this summer: What’s the best story from high school about your player?ĪLABAMA FOOTBALL: Doctors told an Alabama football assistant his son wouldn't live to 14. Before these star players were some of the best in college football, each experienced pivotal moments in high school.

Greatest football story ever told