Columbus area’s link to past 7 college football champions, and the chance for it to carry on
One high school football team in the Columbus area has had one of its former players on the roster of the past seven College Football Playoff national champions.
That team is the Red Devils of Central-Phenix City High School.
The remarkable streak was broken in this year’s CFP semifinals, but the Columbus area still has a chance to claim a connection to the 2024 season’s CFP national champion. Here’s how:
Central’s CFP national championship streak
Thanks to research from Central historian Mark Clark, we can tell you the following former Red Devils won CFP national titles:
- 2017: LB Markail Benton of Alabama
- 2018: WR Justyn Ross of Clemson
- 2019: QB Peter Parrish of LSU
- 2020: OG Javion Cohen of Alabama
- 2021: WR Jackson Meeks of Georgia
- 2022: WR Jackson Meeks of Georgia
- 2023: WR Karmello English of Michigan
The streak was snapped in the CFP semifinals this season, when Notre Dame beat Penn State, with Central alum AJ Harris among the cornerbacks for the Nittany Lions.
The other opportunity for the streak to carry on came from Clemson, with two former Red Devils, safety Caleb Nix and defensive end TJ Parker, on the roster, but they lost to Texas in the CFP’s first round.
Columbus area’s national championship hope this year
Thanks to Sportsvisions 92.1 FM co-host DJ Jones, a former Carver High School quarterback who was a backup QB on Georgia’s 1980 national championship team, we can tell you the Columbus area still might have a link to this season’s CFP winner.
Carver graduate Tim Walton, a former defensive back at Ohio State, now coaches that position for the Buckeyes, who will play Notre Dame for the national title Monday night.
This year’s Ohio State team has another link to the Columbus area in All-American safety Caleb Downs. He isn’t from the Chattahoochee Valley, but his father is.
Spencer High School alum Gary Downs was a running back at North Carolina State and played in parts of six seasons (1994-2000) in the NFL for the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.
Taking a break from preparing for the CFP national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Walton told the Ledger-Enquirer he is proud to represent the Columbus area in such a spotlight.
“It’s been a good run for the Valley,” said Walton, a member of the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame. “… It’s a special deal to be able to keep this tradition going because there’s been a lot of prestigious players coming out of the area. It’s a talent-rich community, so to be able to continue that streak is a great honor, especially to be doing it back here in Georgia.”
