* Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith leads No. 1 Alabama with 105 catches, 1,641 yards and 20 TDs.
Photo Credit: SBNation/Student Sports
- - -
When the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes take the field Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, two of the sports' blue-blood programs will battle for college football's ultimate prize.
But it will simultaneously serve as a showcase for the level of athleticism it takes to compete at the highest level. When you take a deeper dive into the composition of these two teams, it is not surprising that each program possesses an abundance of talent that requires strength, speed and agility.
Top-ranked Alabama (12-0) has 60 players on its 133-man roster (45 percent) who competed in track and field during high school. Meanwhile, No. 3 Ohio State (7-0) is right there with 51 former high school track athletes on its roster of 119 (43 percent).
Below is a comparison of the makeup of each team by position group, as well as the rosters for both teams heading into the big game. You can learn more about the high school track and field careers of the players by clicking their hyperlinked MileSplit profile.
| position | total | track and field |
|---|---|---|
|
| |
| QB | 7 | 1 |
| RB | 8 | 5 |
| WR | 16 | 10 |
| TE | 9 | 5 |
| OL | 18 | 9 |
| DB | 21 | 14 |
| LB | 26 | 7 |
| DL | 16 | 8 |
| P | 5 | 0 |
| K | 4 | 0 |
| LS | 3 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 133 | 60 |
