Before Alabama played Florida on Sept. 18, 2021, Henry To’oTo’o couldn’t sleep. A fever and rash nearly kept him on the field. He needed his dad, but more than that, To’oTo’o needed a blessing.

The story of Iese To’oTo’o’s heroics before the Crimson Tide could knock off the Gators in Gainesville was covered in the second episode of Road to the Pros, AL.com’s Emmy-winning documentary series. Exclusive interviews with To’oTo’o’s parents, coaches and teammates helped show how he became an All-SEC freshman. But also laid out the factors that led to To’oTo’o’s transfer to Tuscaloosa.

“There was just so much stuff going on at Tennessee that wasn’t healthy for me. My coach was leaving but there was so much turmoil going on in there. So much uncertainty. … Yeah, I think the portal is the best thing for me.” To’oTo’o said.

To’oTo’o said Tide head coach Nick Saban was the first to contact him once To’oTo’o’s name was in the transfer portal. The linebacker recaps Saban’s recruiting pitch and how he was a “fish out of water” his first few days around the program. That changed as To’oTo’o befriended Christian Harris and learned his way around the Capstone.

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The episode ends with the 2022 Sugar Bowl as To’oTo’o details his decision to play in the Tide’s bowl game with an NFL future hopefully a few months away. To’oTo’o’s parents said they were advised to sit out, as many draft-eligible players do, but that wasn’t who To’oTo’o was.

“We’re known as Alabama, the smash mouth, hard-hitting, dedicated just grit people. That’s what Alabama is. That’s what people know Alabama for. Kinda just leaving the mark like, cause we were hot, we were pissed that we weren’t in the playoffs, pissed. Just making a statement to people about the things that they had to say and creating our own narrative. … It was one of the biggest reasons why I came back,” To’oTo’o said.

The four-part series will go live every Wednesday and continue next week with To’oTo’o’s draft preparation. Last week’s episode explored To’oTo’o’s roots and how they propelled the start of his career.