A legendary status for the program and immense love in Tuscaloosa weren’t enough for Alabama legend Mark Ingram to send his son to Alabama. Instead, when the former Heisman winner hosted a Big 12 head coach on his podcast, he promised to send his son 932 miles away from his old stomping ground.

“I’mma be there at the Orange Bowl. I’mma be there at the Orange Bowl, coach,” Mark Ingram said to Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire on December 30. “I love it, man. I’m gonna be checking y’all out. You know, y’all, the stadium is about 30 minutes south. I’mma come check y’all out with my son.” Upon hearing Ingram’s interest, McGuire quickly offered a prospective scholarship to the former Bama RB’s 7-year-old son.

“Come on, man. Awesome,” McGuire replied. “He’s seven. So, hopefully in 10 years, if you’re still doing your thing, I’mma have one ready for you,” Ingram quickly interjected. The Red Raiders’ head coach recognized that talent breeds talent and didn’t hesitate to extend his 7-year-old son a scholarship offer already.

“Hey, he might have an offer before he leaves the Orange Bowl,” the 54-year-old head coach said, who earns $7 million per year. No wonder the 2011 NFL Draft’s first-overall pick was excited and seemed already locked to the program in Lubbock, Texas. “First offer, Red Raiders. Let’s go,” Ingram exclaimed in jubilation.

The Red Raiders face Dan Lanning’s Oregon team on January 1 in the Orange Bowl matchup. It’s a playoff quarterfinal game, and both teams will look to win the natty this year, finally. The Red Raiders haven’t won a national title yet, while the Ducks have been the national finalists twice (2010 and 2014), but they, too, are yet to taste natty glory. What’s better than the marquee matchup to kindle a lifelong collegiate football fandom in young Mark Valentino Ingram III?

Born in March 2018, Valentino’s footballing family roots undoubtedly signal a football trajectory. However, since he is just seven, there is still a lot to learn. Perhaps, when he sees Behren Morton and Dante Moore throwing those inch-perfect passes, he finally decides to become a QB. Or maybe Cameron Dickey’s explosive rushing finally inspires him to follow in his father’s footsteps?

Mark Ingram, without a doubt, is an undisputed Bama and CFB legend. The man became the program’s first Heisman winner and was a unanimous All-American. Owing to his 1,658 rushing yards heroics, Bama went on to acheive a 14-0 perfect season and won the 2010 BCS national championship. Cherry on top? The 5’9″ and 215 lbs RB was the offensive MVP of the final game against Texas, rushing for 116 yards. So, it’s natural to expect young Valentino to follow his father’s legacy in Tuscaloosa.

Mark Ingram II’s son is already a baller

The former Bama RB is married to Chelsea Peltin-Brown and has four children with her. Amongst them, three are his cute daughters, Myla, Mila, and Mayla. We also see Ingram posting his children’s videos on social media, as he posted Mila’s dancing video in a cowboy attire in October. But his son, Mark III, though, might have already found his football calling.

In a video posted on August 9, the young Ingram can be seen tackling an explosive young RB and can be seen doing drills in full pads. We see the 7-year-old running through cones with the ball tucked safely and evading defenders effortlessly. In the next clip, Ingram III is trucking through a defender and surpasses him without much effort.

All signs point to young Mark following his father’s trajectory in football, and he has special skills already to back his case. Factor in that he also has the guidance of one of the best RBs CFB has ever seen, and you just know the future is bright for the kid. For now, time is on young Mark’s side, and with Texas Tech’s potential offer already locked in, expect the young prodigy to have an explosive recruitment 10 years hence.

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But why not choose Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama? Is it because of his views on DeBoer’s coaching prowess? No one knows!! Or it may be that he wants his son to go through the recruitment just the way he did. No biases.