TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A lot has changed since the last time Henry To’oTo’o stepped foot inside Neyland Stadium two seasons ago.
“First off, I'd say it's my body,” To’oTo’o said Monday when asked about his growth since coming to Alabama. “You know, my body has changed so much. Our strength and conditioning staff does a great job of knowing who you are as a person, knowing your strengths, knowing your fundamental things you need to work on.
“And also my game. The coaches have done a great job of you know, the little things matter as a football player, so I think that’s all part of my game.”
Of course, there’s also the color of his uniform. For the first time since transferring to the Crimson Tide in May of 2021, To’oTo’o will return to his old stomping grounds as No. 3 Alabama travels to No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday.
It’s going to be a different feeling running out of the tunnel in Neyland Stadium wearing crimson instead of orange. To’oTo’o will likely be met with a far less welcoming reception as well. Still, it’s a moment he’s been waiting on for a while.
“Definitely super excited,” To’oTo’o said. “You guys already know my journey and where I started. So definitely going to be a huge challenge. They’re a great team. It's gonna be a great environment, so we’re excited about playing in another hostile environment, being able to test who we are as a team.”
To’oTo’o started 22 games over 23 appearances for Tennessee, tallying a combined 148 tackles including 15 stops for a loss during his two seasons with the Volunteers. He earned freshman All-America honors in 2019 before leading the team with 76 tackles in 2020.
To'oTo'o had no problem carrying over that success to Alabama last year, taking over as the Crimson Tide's starting Mike linebacker while leading the team with 113 tackles including 8.5 for a loss with four sacks.
"Henry's a genius. He's calling things out before the play starts,” Alabama defensive tackle D.J. Dale said last month. “He's giving you tips and keys and everything throughout the week to look for, what they run out of certain sets and everything like that. Henry really knows it. He dials it up, and he's a genius."
Five of To’oTo’o’s stops last season came against his old team as he helped Alabama to a 52-24 win over Tennessee. That was the linebacker's first taste of victory in the rivalry after suffering a 35-13 loss to Alabama in 2019 before falling 48-17 to the Crimson Tide in 2020.
Alabama has a perfect 15-0 record against Tennessee since Nick Saban arrived in 2007. Games have been especially ugly inside Neyland Stadium over that span as the Crimson Tide is 7-0, outscoring the Volunteers by a combined 303-100. Still, To’oTo’o assures, the folks up in Knoxville still take the rivalry just as seriously.
“We always knew this was a big game, no matter what game it was,” he said. “That tradition never dies. Alabama Tennessee will always live forever. That’ll be a game everybody looks forward to in the third week of October.”
This year’s meeting certainly qualifies for big-game status. Alabama (6-0, 3-0 in the SEC) and Tennessee (5-0, 2-0) will face off as unbeatens for the first time since 1989. The Crimson Tide is currently a 7.5-point favorite as the two teams are set to kick off on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT inside Neyland Stadium for College GameDay’s game of the week.
“It’s just another game on the road for us, big rivalry game tradition-wise,” To’oTo’o said. “This tradition runs deep, so we're super excited to be able to uphold that tradition and that legacy of Alabama football.”
