From McVay to Stafford, here are all the Georgia connections to Sunday’s Super Bowl
The Los Angeles Rams are set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl this Sunday in California, and Georgia will be well represented on both sidelines.
Rams head coach Sean McVay was a quarterback for Marist High School and was the 4A offensive player of the year over former Georgia Tech star Calvin Johnson. He led Marist to a state title in 2003.
Matthew Stafford, the Rams starting quarterback, will appear in his first Super Bowl in his 13-year career. This is the former Georgia quarterback’s first season with the Rams after being traded from Detroit. Stafford starred for Georgia before the Lions drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009.
Two other former Bulldogs will suit up for the Rams in the big game: running back Sony Michel and linebacker Leonard Floyd. Michel starred for the Bulldogs from 2014-2017 and is best remembered for his Rose Bowl-winning touchdown over Oklahoma in overtime in 2017.
Floyd spent three seasons in Athens from 2013-15 and was a first-round pick by the Bears in 2016. He has spent the last three seasons in Los Angeles, racking up 29.5 sacks during his stint with the team. He also played his high school football for Dodge County.
Ernest Jones, a linebacker for the Rams, has Georgia ties as he played for the Ware County Gators in high school before playing college football with South Carolina.
The Bengals will also trot out some players with Georgia ties, including former Houston County and Georgia Bulldog center Trey Hill. Hill starred for the Bears before taking on a big role for the Bulldogs and has started three games this season for the Bengals.
Tight end C.J. Uzomah is from Suwanee and played high school football at North Gwinnett as a quarterback and wide receiver. He played for the Auburn Tigers and has been a key part of the Bengals’ passing attack this season.
Former Ole Miss cornerback, Mike Hilton, is a Georgia native too. He played for Sandy Creek in Tyrone, Georgia. As a junior, he broke the Sandy Creek record for interceptions in a season with nine. He has recorded three interceptions this season including one in the playoffs against the Tennessee Titans in the second round.
Bengals defensive end Cameron Sample is a Snellville native and starred at Shiloh High School before playing for Tulane. The rookie fourth-round pick has played sparingly this season but was active in each of the Bengals’ first two playoff games.
D’Ante Smith, an Augusta native, played high school football for Grovetown before suiting up for East Carolina. The fourth-round rookie offensive lineman has only seen the field twice this season, but earned a start in Week 18 against the Cleveland Browns.
Jonah Williams, grew up in the Atlanta area before moving to California to play high school football. The former Alabama offensive lineman has started every game this season for Cincinnati.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 3:14 PM.