Elijah Sarratt grew up dreaming in crimson and white - just not the kind he’ll be wearing when he steps onto the field for the Rose Bowl on Thursday.
Before he became Indiana’s go-to wide receiver and one of the driving forces behind the Hoosiers’ high-powered offense, Sarratt was a kid in Virginia glued to the television, watching Alabama dominate college football. He was part of the generation that saw Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide become a dynasty - winning SEC titles, national championships, and producing a conveyor belt of Heisman winners and NFL talent.
“I was on the Alabama bandwagon as a kid,” Sarratt admitted. “I love Nick Saban, I love all the players they had growing up. They were the best team growing up, so just to play them now is pretty cool.”
Now 23, Sarratt finds himself on the other side of the matchup - suiting up for the No. 1-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, who will face No. 9 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl. It’s a full-circle moment for a player who once idolized the Tide, and now has a chance to help knock them out of the postseason.
Sarratt’s path to Pasadena wasn’t the traditional five-star-to-powerhouse route. He started his college career at James Madison, where he played under head coach Curt Cignetti.
When Cignetti took the Indiana job in 2023, Sarratt followed - part of a wave of transfers that reshaped the Hoosiers’ roster and, eventually, their program. The irony?
While Sarratt was watching Alabama dominate Saturdays as a kid, Cignetti was actually on the Tide’s coaching staff from 2007 to 2011, helping build the very machine that captivated a young Sarratt.
“I liked a lot of players,” Sarratt said. “Trent Richardson, I just remember seeing him off the top of my head - just seeing him run that rock and be crazy.
He was one of my favorite players. They had so many.
I just liked the team.”
Richardson was a bruising back who embodied Alabama’s physical style during the early Saban years. Sarratt, at 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds, brings a different kind of firepower - more finesse than force - but his impact on Indiana’s offense has been just as pivotal.
The Hoosiers enter the Rose Bowl with one of the most explosive offenses in the country. They rank fourth nationally in points per game (41.9) and sit inside the top 10 in total yards per game (472.8).
That firepower helped Indiana not only capture the Big Ten championship, but also launch quarterback Fernando Mendoza into the Heisman spotlight. The Hoosiers now sit atop the College Football Playoff rankings, and Sarratt’s fingerprints are all over that success - with 12 touchdown grabs and nearly 700 receiving yards on the season.
When asked about his favorite Alabama memories, Sarratt didn’t hesitate. His mind went straight to the Tide’s elite wideouts - guys who, like him, showed up when the lights were brightest.
“I remember seeing DeVonta Smith and him cooking in that national championship,” Sarratt said. “Just seeing him go to work like that was pretty crazy.
Seeing Jaylen Waddle have a punt return - I think it was against LSU or something - his helmet almost came off. I’ve been watching him since I was a little kid, so it’s pretty crazy.”
Now, it’s Sarratt’s turn under the lights. He’s no longer the kid watching from the couch - he’s the playmaker on the field, with a shot to help Indiana write its own chapter in college football history. And fittingly, the team standing in the way is the same one that first inspired the dream.
Kickoff between No. 1 Indiana and No.
9 Alabama is set for Jan. 1 at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN.