Cornerback Cyrus Jones will wear his Crimson Tide uniform one last time Monday night when Alabama (13-1) plays the undefeated Clemson Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T (Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
It's not surprising, but Jones has an impressive football resume. His dynamic 57-yard touchdown on a punt return against Michigan State helped Alabama take control in the national semifinals. Throughout the 2015 season, Jones developed into one of the nation's best cornerbacks and punt returners. His 518 return yards place him second in Alabama's single-season history, and his four punt returns for touchdowns this season is the most in Alabama history. But the 5-foot-10 Baltimore native isn't just a one-dimensional athlete who is focused on all things sports.
During a joint interview, his parents, Tomika and Cyrus Jones Sr., discussed some of the other traits Alabama's No. 5 has off the field, from his spontaneous personality to his childhood passions.
Below are six things you didn't know about cornerback Cyrus Jones.
1. Cyrus purchased his own selfie stick.
"Oh, my goodness," Tomika says, before sharing the story of the purchase. Cyrus, apparently, was on his way from Alabama to Atlanta for a weekend, and he called Tomika full of excitement. "He said 'Ma, you'd never believe what I just bought at the gas station.' I said, 'CJ, a selfie-stick, really?' "
2. The University of Alabama wasn't his earliest college experience.
"We had CJ while we were in our sophomore year in college," Cyrus Sr. says. "He watched us doing school assignments as a toddler and attended both our graduations. Education was always at the forefront of our lives because we were in college. I earned a degree in physical education from West Virginia University. My wife received her bachelor's in education from Coppin State in Baltimore." Cyrus, by the way, already has earned his bachelor's in communications from Alabama.
3. The Crimson Tide cornerback has an artsy spirit.
As a boy, art was Cyrus' favorite activity, according to his parents. "When we enrolled him into Baltimore's [Gilman High School], we encouraged him to explore his creative side," Tomika says. "Once he started taking art courses, he became an avid artist. He'd sit on our living room floor and draw whatever was in the area, like a glass vase or a lamp." Jones has even sketched an exaggerated version of himself in the form of a bobblehead -- dramatizing his marble-shaped eyes and easy smile.
4. Credit his best friend for 'Clamp Clampington.'
"Well, it all started after his best friend, Reginald Thomas, recommended that he needed a name that sounded catchy," Tomika says. "You know, something that people will not forget. So that's how Clamp Clampington was born." The nickname is considered by many to be the best in college football. "Reginald said he gave CJ the name because that's what you are supposed to do on defense." Tomika says.
5. Jones likes reading astrology.
On Saturday, two days before his national championship game, Cyrus tweeted a line of his Sagittarius horoscope: Expressing your feelings is more challenging than it should be. "Yes, we like to read our horoscopes," Tomika says. "Like my husband, I'm a Taurus. We were born nine days apart."
6. His parents call him the fashion police.
"Whenever Cyrus thinks we need something fly to wear, he appoints himself as the family style expert and suggests certain outfits," Tomika says. "His dad bought him his first pair of Air Jordan shoes when he was only 6 weeks old. Yes, he is definitely a sneaker head." Adds Cyrus Sr.: "But he got his suit style from me."