Alabama football players react to former President Donald Trump's appearance

Emilee Smarr
| Tuscaloosa News

Alabama football put on a show for special guest Donald Trump in Saturday’s 41-34 underdog victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

When Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide built a 30-7 lead over the Bulldogs at halftime before the former president’s exit, it might seem like Trump was a lucky charm.

Georgia scored 21 unanswered points, making it a ballgame in the fourth quarter, long after Trump’s early exit, which only further supported that claim.

Alabama fans who remember Trump’s first appearance in Tuscaloosa would, of course, argue otherwise, as the Crimson Tide suffered its only loss of the 2019-20 season to an LSU team en route to the national championship.

But how did Alabama football players and staff feel about the Republican national candidate’s presence at the Georgia game?

More: “Welcome to the SEC”: How Kalen DeBoer approaches conference play in Alabama’s first football season

More: “Age is real”: What makes Alabama football rookie Ryan Williams “different.”

From the time the university announced his presence to his arrival in the middle of the game, Alabama football players felt the Republican presidential candidate’s appearance was no big deal.

Tight end CJ Dippre said he didn’t think it was a “big distraction.” If anything, he thought it was “kind of great.”

“I don’t care about politics. I’m not voting. I’m not dealing with it just because I don’t think I’m old enough to deal with it right away,” Dippre said. “But I thought it was great to have such an icon at the game.”

Others like linebacker Jihaad Campbell saw it as just another game day.

“We didn’t really worry about external factors,” Campbell said. “We had ‘College GameDay.’ I think the game was on ABC, a lot of things came to the game and we didn’t let that get into our heads.

Alabama’s fight to the end, capped off with an electrifying 75-yard touchdown catch by Ryan Williams, wasn’t due to the Trump effect either.

“We just kept our composure and kept fighting,” Campbell said.

Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached by email at [email protected].

Alabama football players react to former President Donald Trump’s appearance

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