PHOENIX — Jake Coker watched his last national championship game from the sideline on crutches, and wouldn’t have played anyway.
Then he transferred from Florida State to Alabama and found himself effectively a spectator for another contender. Another lost position battle, with the clock ticking on his college career.
That’s Coker’s back story, an improbable journey to the brink of college football’s pinnacle: the national championship.
This time he’s the starting quarterback and a team captain heading into Monday night’s title game against Clemson and Heisman Trophy finalist Deshaun Watson.
“I think it’s made me appreciate this year way more than most guys appreciate it,” Coker said Saturday.