Alabama kicker Adam Griffith had one of the more unusual entrances into Southeastern Conference football.
His adventurous career with the Crimson Tide has its final act Monday night in Tampa, Fla.
"It's kind of weird, because I thought last year was going to be my last year," Griffith said. "Now I know for sure. It's been a long five years for me, so I'm kind of ready to move on and do something else."
Griffith, the 5-foot-10, 193-pound former Calhoun (Ga.) High standout, will enter Monday's national championship game against No. 2 Clemson as the second all-time leading scorer in Alabama history. With a 41-yard field goal and three extra points in last Saturday's 24-7 thumping of Washington in the Peach Bowl, the fifth-year senior increased his career tally to 350 points.
Only Leigh Tiffin, who racked up 385 points from 2006 to 2009, has more.
Alabama finished its on-campus workouts for the national championship game Thursday afternoon, working out in full pads at the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility. The team is scheduled to arrive at the Tampa airport today around noon.
Born Andrzej Debowski in Poland, Griffith spent 13 years in orphanages until being adopted by Tom and Michelle Griffith of Calhoun. He committed to Alabama in January 2011 and became the No. 1 kicker in the 2012 signing class according to 247Sports.com and Scout.com.
Griffith redshirted in 2012, when Alabama won its third national title under Nick Saban, and experiencing last season's title ultimately figured into last year's decision.
"I had one year left, so I figured I might as well come back and get some more schoolwork and win another national championship," Griffith said. "I have that opportunity, so it's a good thing I did come back. I've been pretty happy with this season. I've had a couple of injuries, but overall it's been a good one."
Griffith has made 20 of 27 field-goal attempts this season and 56 of 81 for his career.
Though he forever will be linked to Auburn's stunning "Kick Six" finish in the 2013 Iron Bowl, when Griffith came up shy on a 57-yard try and Chris Davis raced more than 100 yards for a 34-28 Tigers triumph as time expired, that was nowhere close to his toughest time with the Tide. Griffith became the full-time starter in 2014 and made his first seven attempts that year, but he was only 5-for-12 the rest of the season.
He then missed his first four attempts to open 2015, including a 24-yard try in a 37-10 win over Middle Tennessee State.
"We obviously need to get more production there, but we also have confidence in him," Saban said after that win over the Blue Raiders. "We think he can get the job done, but there may come a point sometime when we give someone else an opportunity."
Griffith regrouped to make 23 of his remaining 28 attempts during the 2015 season and earned All-SEC second-team recognition. He made a key 55-yard kick during a 30-16 win over LSU and scored 17 points in his second trip to Auburn, a 29-14 triumph in which he was 5-for-5 on field-goal tries.
"That was my favorite game right there," Griffith said.
Though never defined as "automatic" in his Crimson Tide career, Griffith has made 10 of his last 11 field-goal attempts.
"We stuck with him, and we believed in him," Saban said. "We tried to be positive with him to help him so that he can accomplish what he wants to accomplish. I don't know if anybody knows that a positive approach works, but everybody knows that a negative one doesn't, so we try to stay positive with our guys."
Once Monday night's game is over, Griffith said he will give the NFL a try. If playing professionally doesn't work out, he added, "It's not going to be a big deal for me."
Griffith is not lacking for confidence wherever his workplace may be, with this last year in the program only solidifying that confidence.
"The thing I've learned most here is a work ethic, with the way we practice and the way we work day in and day out," he said. "It's going to translate to the real world, so it's going to help me out a lot."
'Faster and smoother'
Alabama sophomore receiver Calvin Ridley wished former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin well on social media this week and told reporters Thursday that he really likes successor Steve Sarkisian.
"We're pretty much doing the same thing as we did with Coach Kiffin, but everything is a lot faster and smoother," Ridley said. "He's a really good coach, and I can't wait to get out on the field Monday and see what we'll do."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.