The primary emotion did not change for him in Thursday’s offensive media availability for the University of Alabama football team during Rose Bowl prep for Michigan.
He carried the same focus and message he had at the Grand Hyatt Hotel for Southeastern Conference Media Days back in July at Nashville, Tenn. JC Latham sat down with his “TK 65” piece around his neck — freshly purchased with NIL opportunities — and addressed the preseason disrespect everyone on the outside was giving to Alabama. He laid every team goal for the Crimson Tide in front of reporters and stated that Georgia is not the standard of college football. Latham’s passion from the summer carried over into the fall. Alabama suffered a week two loss to Texas at Bryant-Denny Stadium, but the goals Latham laid out in July became a reality. The Tide used the disrespect as fuel to create an acronym, “LANK,” which has become the team’s motto.
RELATED: JC Latham respects Georgia’s standard, but says it is not above Alabama’s
Alabama has been letting all naysayers know since losing to the Longhorns. Latham guided the group to dethroning a two-time defending College Football Playoff National Champion in the SEC title game. He aided the program into the CFP for an eighth time since 2014 and has the program with an opportunity to win a national championship. The success has been great, but the former five-star is not satisfied. Latham, a junior offensive tackle, gave a great analogy about why he refuses to stop following a significant victory over the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-6, 360-pounder is on a mission to prove right what he said at SEC Media Days.
JC Latham on not being done yet after beating UGA to get to CFP semifinals: @abc3340
“An alligator is easy to kill once it get it’s prey and because it’s satisfied so that’s the easiest time to kill it because it just finished it’s prey” pic.twitter.com/kAkGt3RBxR
— Chris McCulley (@ChrisMcCulleyTV) December 29, 2023
“An alligator is easy to kill once it get its prey because it’s satisfied, so that’s the easiest time to kill it because it just finished its prey,” Latham said Thursday. “Beating Georgia was a big deal, but we cannot be satisfied. We have to try to continue being persistent, pushing forward, and making sure that we are not done until the end.”
Latham is one of the leaders on the team, but he has yet to win a CFP National Championship.
He is locked in on the prize before having any talks about a potential NFL future. It is a one-game season for Alabama that starts with the Wolverines on New Year’s Day at 4:00 p.m. CT inside Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
