Phidarian Mathis explains it’s not always business at Alabama: ‘We have a lot of fun’
By Jake Rill
Published:
Alabama is a national powerhouse nearly every season. The Crimson Tide show up and win games, and it’s always clear that they’re taking things seriously. That likely comes from the leadership of head coach Nick Saban at the top.
But redshirt defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis wants to make something clear: it’s not all business all the time.
“We have a lot of fun. A lot of people say we don’t have fun at Alabama, but these times, we enjoy this,” Mathis told reporters, including Charlie Potter of 247Sports, on Thursday. “We have a lot of fun off the field and on the field. But when it’s time to go to work, we work, also.”
That last part is obvious. The Crimson Tide show up like they’re ready to win every Saturday. And that’s what they did every week during the 2020 season, when they went 13-0 and won the national championship.
Mathis is now one of the key players who will look to help Alabama win back-to-back titles. He’s played in 40 games over the past three seasons, and he’s coming off his best year in 2020, when he had 31 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 pass deflections and 1 forced fumble in 13 games.
Mathis and Alabama open the 2021 season with a matchup against Miami in Atlanta on Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
