Randolph And Ray Earn Second National Championship Rings With Alabama Victory
LaBryan Ray and Kendall Randolph strapped on their crimson and white uniforms and took to the grass field and won their second national title while with the Tide program. Both players were freshmen in 2017 when Alabama defeated Georgia to earn a championship ring.
“This second championship ring is definitely huge for me as this was a different type of title due to everything we went through this season and the fact I had an injury my sophomore year I was glad to come back in a big way,” said Randolph, who starred at Bob Jones. “The comeback pushed me to reach our goal as a team. It was a great memory I’ll never forget.”
Randolph was a redshirt junior this season and played a role as both an offensive lineman and in-line tight end and has shown to be a versatile blocker that is used in various formations. He wore No. 85 in the title game. He graduated in December with a degree in human environmental science and is currently working on his master’s degree in sports management and is scheduled to earn that degree in December.
Ray played his prep football at James Clemens where he was listed as the No. 1 player in Alabama before signing with Alabama. He overcame several injuries in 2020 and fought his way back to earn a lot of playing time near the end of the season. He recorded one assisted tackle against the Buckeyes and raised the championship trophy for a second time with the Crimson Tide.
“We congratulated each other after the game and throughout our time on the team as LaBryan and I have talked about our years of playing high school against one another.” Randolph even brings up the fact that James Clemens never beat his Bob Jones Patriots while they played against one another. “It’s a good joke for me,” added Randolph.
The 6-foot-4, 298-pound Randolph will return to the Capstone for his final year of eligibility while pursuing his education. Ray, 6-5, 295-pound defensive lineman, will do the same.
Alabama went into the National Championship Game as much as an eight-point favorite over the undefeated Buckeyes and the game was close until midway through the second quarter as the Tide scored 28 points to open a 35-17 lead by halftime and sort of went on cruise control the remainder of the game. The offense rolled up 621 yards led by quarterback Mac Jones (36-45, 464-yards, 5 TDs), wide receiver DeVonta Smith (12-215, 3) and running back Najee Harris (22-83, 2). Randolph and the remainder of the offensive line provided excellent protection for Jones on pass plays and tremendous blocking schemes on running plays that propelled the team to success.
The victory was a complete team win for Alabama’s sixth national title in the last 12 years.
“Ohio State was a very good team. They were very strong, but our mindset was to be physical and sustain that through the entire game,” said Randolph, whose entire family was in attendance at the game. “We did all the things we set out to do. We prepared well and executed what we wanted.”
Randolph and Ray along with the entire returning members of the Alabama roster have celebrated the recent National Championship and are already prepping for a possible addition to the championship rings next season. The mindset is there.
