Glenn Schumann's ties to Alabama run deep.
The Georgia inside linebackers coach spent eight seasons working for Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. His dad, Eric, played football under Bear Bryant for the Crimson Tide. His wife, Lauren, got her nursing degree from Alabama. His mother-in-law got a degree from the Capstone, as well.
But don't expect any of them to be wearing crimson tonight inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the College Football Playoff National Championship.
"They wouldn't be at the game," Schumann said with a laugh.
Their allegiance lies with the Bulldogs now as Schumann works to help Kirby Smart win a national championship in his second year in Athens. The 27-year old was the first hire Smart made when he took the Georgia job -- it made him the SEC's youngest assistant -- after he impressed the former Alabama defensive coordinator in their years of work together. Smart watched Schumann evolve from a student assistant to a graduate assistant to a director of player development, showcasing a strong knowledge of the game and work ethic along the way.
At the time of his hire in 2015, Smart said Schumann had "been my right-hand man for I guess 4-5 years now over there."
"I think you want to work with people moving in the same direction as you and you can trust," Schumann said. "Over those eight seasons, especially the last few years, I built enough trust with him that he felt like he could ask me to this job and I'd do it well."
Schumann isn't a name most Alabama fans would recognize, but he played a critical role behind the scenes in Alabama's defensive game-planning. Schumann, the son of a college coach, proved adroit at taking Smart and Nick Saban's big picture defensive ideas and boiling them down into concepts the entire team could understand. Choose whichever overused descriptor you'd like -- guru, savant, etc. -- and it accurately describes Schumann. Most impressively, the now-Georgia assistant was only a few years older than the players he was helping build defensive schemes for. Minkah Fitzpatrick told The Macon Telegraph Schumann "knows everything about the defense" and he'd talk to him about the playbook when the coaches were busy.
"Schu is a really bright guy, learned very quickly and made a great contribution in terms of his input, his knowledge, his work ethic," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. "And I know even though he wasn't allowed to coach players, they all had a tremendous amount of respect for him, as well."
In a week dominated by mentor vs. pupil storylines, Schumann was very hesitant to get into the differences between his old boss and his current one. The most he would say is there are differences in their personalities but the day-to-day at both programs is very similar. He enjoyed his time working for Sabain in Tuscaloosa but loves where he's at now and isn't looking to go anywhere. He shepherds an inside linebacker group that will play an important role in Georgia's defensive efforts to stymie Alabama.
On Monday night, the Crimson Tide alum will do everything he can to knock off the football powerhouse that gave him his start and groomed him for this moment.
His family will be there cheering as hard as anyone, albeit clad in a different shade of red then they'd been accustomed.
John Talty is the college sports editor for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JTalty.