HOUSTON — The 2023-24 college football season will come to a close on Monday night when the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines and No. 2 Washington Huskies will square off for the College Football Playoff National Championship at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Whether you watch the game on any of the ESPN family of networks or listen to it on ESPN Radio, the game will have a desert feel to it as several big-name players come from right here in Arizona.
Here's a guide to all of the players and coaches with ties to Arizona from Washington and Michigan.
WASHINGTON HUSKIES
- No. 7 Husky (Safety/Linebacker) Dominique Hampton
- An honorable mention All-Pac-12 team member, Hampton started every game this season at safety for the Huskies. He had 99 tackles this season, two interceptions and a pass breakup. He played high school football at Centennial in Peoria and won the 2017 5A state championship.
- No. 8 Defensive End Bralen Trice
- Trice is a 2023 third-team AP All-American and a two-time member of the All-Pac-12 first team. Trice had five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Sugar Bowl, earning Defensive MVP honors as the Huskies advanced to the National Championship game. Trice is a team captain for the Huskies. He played high school football at Sandra Day O'Connor High School in Phoenix.
- No. 14 Quarterback William Haskell
- A backup quarterback for the Huskies, Haskell transferred to Washington from San Diego State before the 2023 season. He played his high school football at Ironwood High School in Glendale where he threw for 4,193 yards and 44 touchdowns while running for 1,902 yards and 26 touchdowns. Haskell was the 2019 5A Player of the Year and helped lead Ironwood to the 2020 5A state championship game.
- No. 21 Running Back Daniyel Ngata
- The junior running back is in his first season with Washington after transferring from Arizona State. Ngata played three seasons (2020-22) at ASU, rushing for 689 yards and six touchdowns. Ngata has played mainly on special teams for the Huskies in 2023.
- No. 41 Defensive End Lance Holtzclaw
- The sophomore has played in all but two games this season for Washington and has five tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack this season. Holtzclaw, who is originally from Massachusetts, played high school football at Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, where he was a defensive end and wide receiver.
- No. 72 Offensive Lineman Parker Brailsford
- The sophomore has started every game this season for Washington at either right guard or center. He was named to the All-Pac-12 second team. Brailsford played high school football at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, helping the Sabercats to the 2021 Open Division state championship.
- No. 78 Offensive Lineman Matteo Mele
- Mele will not play in the National Championship game due to injury but was the Huskies' starting center for the first two games of the year before getting hurt. Mele was named to the 2023 Rimington Trophy Watch List. That award goes to the best offensive lineman in college football. Mele played high school football at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson.
- No. 89 Long Snapper Jaden Green
- Green is the starting long snapper for the Huskies this season and even caught a pass on a two-point conversion in Washington's win over Tulsa. Green played his high school football at Mesa High School and was named to the All-6A East Valley Region first team and was an Under Armour All-American. His dad, Gerald, played college football at ASU.
- No. 95 Kicker Grady Gross
- Gross had one of the best moments of the season when he was awarded a scholarship after hitting the game-winning field goal in the Apple Cup against Washington State. Gross has hit 16 of 20 field goal attempts this season and has made 62 extra points. His 97 kickoffs have gone for an average of 62.4 yards and 47 of them have gone for touchbacks. Gross played high school football at Horizon High School in Scottsdale where he won the 2022 5A state championship with the Huskies.
- Offensive Line coach Scott Huff
- Huff is a Phoenix native and played high school football at Horizon High School in Scottsdale. He was a graduate assistant at Arizona State in 2004-05 and earned his master's in secondary education from ASU in 2005.
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
- No. 73 Offensive Lineman LaDarius Henderson
- Played four years at Arizona State (2019-22) before transferring to Michigan. Appeared in 33 games for the Sun Devils (29 starts) and was a team captain in 2022. Henderson was an All-Big Ten selection this season and has played in every game for the Wolverines this season with eight starts.
The 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship will kick off at 5:30 Arizona time on Monday. ESPN will have a 'megacast' where the main broadcast will be on ESPN, with special broadcasts of the game on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, and ESPN Deportes. You can read more about that here.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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