NEW ORLEANS — Whether or not Speedy Noil actually lost his tooth doesn’t matter. By now, the clip of the former Texas A&M receiver getting leveled by Alabama linebacker Mack Wilson last season has already been cemented firmly into college football lore.

During the play, Wilson slammed into Noil, lifting him off his feet during a kickoff return. A slow-motion replay of the hit shows a small white object leaving Noil’s mouth upon impact.

Hence the legend of Mack Wilson was born.

“I’m not sure if his teeth really came out, but I know it was a pretty hard lick when I did look at in on the Jumbotron,” Wilson said. “I hear about that a lot. Everywhere I go people recognize me as hitting Speedy Noil."

To be fair, when you get the reputation as someone who literally hits hard enough to dislodge a tooth from someone’s mouth, it doesn’t really matter if he can or not. Not too many running backs want to stick around to find out.

“I was watching the game last year against Texas A&M, and I think he knocked the guy’s tooth out,” Clemson running back Travis Etienne said. “That definitely tells you a lot about Mack Wilson that he’s going to bring it every play, so I better just keep my head on a swivel.”

To his coaches and teammates, Wilson is a lot of things — warrior, athlete, showman, leader. All of those play a part into the mystique that surrounds him heading into the biggest game of his life.