TAMPA, Fla. -- Alabama's 2013 recruiting class included 2015 Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry and current All-Americans Jonathan Allen, Reuben Foster and Tim Williams, who are expected to be first-round picks in April's NFL draft.
But the last piece of the 2013 class -- center Bradley Bozeman -- might have been the missing link in the Crimson Tide's reaching Monday night's College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App), where they will play Clemson for a second straight national title.
Bozeman, of Roanoke, Alabama, verbally committed to play for the Crimson Tide during his senior year at Handley High School in 2012. But after tearing the ACL in his left knee, Alabama's coaches asked him to grayshirt, which meant he would wait to enroll as a midyear student in January 2014.
But the day before preseason camp started in August 2013, Alabama's coaches called Bozeman and told him to pack his bags and report to school. Freshman offensive lineman Darius Paige had been medically disqualified to play for Alabama, so there was suddenly a scholarship available for Bozeman.
A lifelong Alabama football fan, Bozeman might have walked to Tuscaloosa.
Bozeman spent his first season rehabbing his knee as a redshirt, and then played mostly as a reserve the next two seasons. Finally, he replaced NFL first-round pick Ryan Kelly as the Tide's starting center this season.
Bozeman, 6-foot-5 and 319 pounds, has played so well in his first season as a full-time starter that Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban called him the team's "unsung hero."
"It's pretty big props coming from Coach Saban," Bozeman said. "He doesn't single out players and he's more about the team. It's pretty cool coming from him to hear him say I stepped up and made the best of my opportunities."
Bozeman's development was even more important because the Crimson Tide started freshman Jalen Hurts at quarterback this season. Besides snapping the ball and blocking, Bozeman's responsibilities include helping Hurts recognize defensive fronts, keys and blitzes.
"Any time you've got a guy in the middle that gets the front set and the declarations and calls made, it helps everybody else," Alabama offensive line coach Brent Key said. "Whether it's a young quarterback or not, that relationship between the quarterback and center is important. It's no different from a catcher and a pitcher in baseball and the relationship they have to have."
Bozeman started twice at center as a redshirt freshman when Kelly was hurt and missed the Arkansas and Texas A&M games in 2014. Last season, Bozeman played mostly as a backup guard and center. In the spring of 2016, he lined up at left guard while sophomore Ross Pierschbacher played center. The Crimson Tide switched them early in preseason camp.
"I think when you talk about a center, you never know for sure how a guy is going to respond to the responsibilities a center has," Saban said. "He affects the other guys on the offensive line relative to making calls, leadership, understanding what the other team is trying to do and what you have to do to get them blocked, whether it's pass protection or run plays. I think that's the part where he's done very, very well, and that was the concern with a guy who hasn't played there a lot."
Bozeman has played better than the Tide could have ever expected, grading out at 80 percent or better blocking in every game this season and allowing zero sacks in 10 of 12 games. He was named the Tide's offensive player of the game in seven of their past eight games.
"I was trying to start," Bozeman said. "It was kind of a make-it-or-break-it year for me. It didn't matter where I started; I just wanted to be on the field. They gave me an opportunity and I tried to make the best of it."
Bozeman's biggest challenge figures to come from Clemson's formidable defensive front.
All-American Carlos Watkins has 8.5 sacks, the most by a Clemson defensive tackle since 1990. He sacked Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett two times in Clemson's 31-0 win over the Buckeyes in the CFP semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl last week. Tigers tackle Dexter Lawrence has seven sacks, which tied a Clemson freshman record held by Michael Dean Perry (1984) and Chester McGlockton (1989).
"[The Clemson defense] played really, really well against Ohio State," Saban said. "They created a lot of pressure, a lot of negative plays, really affected the quarterback, and this is a complete unit."
At least the Crimson Tide know they'll be strong up the middle on offense.