Only three players on the Georgia roster and two on TCU are from South Florida as they play in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Monday night. Miami football legacy Kenny McIntosh leads Georgia in rushing and total yards and TDs.
McIntosh has 779 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns with 42 receptions for 505 yards and two scores which is third on Georgia. Wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint from St. Thomas Aquinas and outside linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. a Florida State legacy are the only other player on Georgia from South Florida.
Rosemy-Jacksaint has 29 receptions for 337 receiving yards with two TDs as a junior this season. Jones was one of the highest sought-after recruits in South Florida in the 2022 class. As a true freshman Jones had four tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack. Two former Mark Richt assistant coaches are on Kirby Smart’s staff.
Georgia tight ends coach Todd Hartley held the same position plus special teams coordinator with Miami. Stacy Searles is the offensive line coach at Georgia, the same position he held with Miami. Bryan McClendon who is the Passing Game Coordinator and WRs coach has coached under Richt and Mario Cristobal.
McClendon was the interim head coach and led Georgia to a win in the Tax Slayer Bowl versus Penn State after Richt was fired following the final game of the 2015 regular season. Richt eventually was hired by Miami. McClendon was the interim coach at Oregon for the 2021 Alamo Bowl when Cristobal was hired by Miami.
TCU senior defensive lineman George Ellis III is an American Heritage Alum and Horned Frogs’ junior linebacker Thomas Armstrong starred at Chaminade-Madonna. Ellis had 18 tackles, two tackles for loss and one QB hit in 2022. Armstrong has not recorded any stats during the 2022 season.
It is unusual for the national championship game during the Bowl Championship Series and College Football Playoff era to have so few players from South Florida. With the SEC winning 12 of the last 16 college football national championship the rosters of the champions have usually been loaded with players from South Florida.