Reggie Ragland is presented a commemorative football by Head Coach Nick Saban before the Charleston Southern game (Photo provided by UA Athletics Dept.)

TUSCALOOSA- It was the day Madison’s own Reggie Ragland envisioned when he decided to forgo the NFL Draft and come back for his senior season. Saturday in a pregame ceremony before Alabama’s last home game, a 56-6 win against Charleston Southern, Ragland was honored along with 24 other seniors by head coach Nick Saban. Ragland was joined on the field by his father and mother and other family members.

“Coach Saban stresses do the little things like be on time, go to class, and always be kind to people because that will take you a long way in life,” Ragland said later.

Ragland’s message to the Tide fans was “thank you for everything you have done for me; cheered for me, cried for me, I’m proud to be a part of the Bama Nation.”

Ragland, a 2012 graduate of Bob Jones, will graduate from Alabama in December with a degree in consumer affairs. Education and community service have marked his four years at the Capstone as much as his football play.

Very active in the community, Ragland has volunteered above the suggested 50 hours of community service for student athletes. He has visited schools, churches, hospitals, and veterans.

On Monday he was named on of the five finalists for the Butkus Award presented annually to college football’s best linebacker. New to the award this year is the Clean Play initiative. Previous Alabama winners were Rolando McClain (2009) and C.J. Mosley (2013).

He is also one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award that recognizes both on and off the field achievements: community, classroom, character and competition.

Ragland is the captain of the Crimson Tide defense. The defense ranks second nationally in rushing defense and third in total defense. He leads the team with 85 tackles, including 6.5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. Ragland has played in 48 games in his career at Alabama, starting 23. He has not missed a game since his freshman year and leads the team with 46 consecutive games played.

A lot of people wrote Alabama off after a 43-37 loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 19. But Ragland and the team have rebounded winning 8 straight games since then.

“Coach Saban always tells us something to get us going and he told us everybody had wrote us off. But when we communicate on the field and play hard, physical we are a tough team to beat and we have showed that. It’s all about the mindset to be focused on the task at hand and players having a common goal,” Ragland said.

Head Coach Nick Saban notched his 200^th career win earlier this year in Alabama’s 30-16 victory over LSU. He discussed Ragland earlier this season in an interview.

“Reggie was a good player for us last year and has worked hard to improve. He does everything we ask him to do and sets a great example for his teammates and is a good leader for the team.”