Five players with Alabama football roots are eligible to get on the field during Super Bowl LVIII. Will one of them become the latest player from an Alabama high school or college to star for an NFL champion?

Because of injuries and playing status, that seems unlikely. But nobody thought former West Alabama defensive back Malcolm Butler would save Super Bowl XLIX for the New England Patriots until he did.

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco will square off in Super Bowl LVIII at 5:30 p.m. CST Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. CBS will televise the game.

The players from Alabama high schools and colleges with active status for the game are:

· Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Neil Farrell Jr. (Murphy High School)

· San Francisco 49ers cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (South Alabama)

· Kansas City Chiefs running back La’Mical Perine (Theodore High School)

· Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross (Central High School of Phenix City)

· Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (Blount High School)

Over the 57 previous Super Bowls, 10 of the top performances for NFL championship winners by players with Alabama football roots include:

Malcolm Butler, cornerback, New England Patriots

An undrafted rookie from West Alabama, Butler saved the Patriots’ 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1, 2015. With Seattle at the New England 1-yard line and less than one minute to play, Butler intercepted a pass at the goal line on the Seahawks’ final snap of the game. Butler had entered the game as the Patriots’ third cornerback in the second half.

Eric Davis, cornerback, San Francisco 49ers

From Anniston High School and Jacksonville State, Davis intercepted a pass in the end zone on the San Diego Chargers’ last snap of the first half to keep the 49ers in front by 18 points on their way to a 49-26 victory in Super Bowl XXIX on Jan. 29, 1995. Davis also had six tackles and broke up two more passes.

Trey Flowers, defensive end, New England Patriots

The former Columbia High School standout led the Patriots with six tackles, including 2.5 sacks, and was credited with five hits on Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan in a 34-28 overtime victory against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, 2017.

Dont’a Hightower, linebacker, New England Patriots

There’s a reason that New England coach Bill Belichick called Hightower “Mr. February.” The Alabama alumnus played in three Super Bowl victories. On the Seattle offense’s next-to-last snap of Super Bowl XLIX, Hightower brought down Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch at the New England 1-yard line despite playing with a torn labrum in a 28-24 victory on Feb. 1, 2015. In Super Bowl LI, Hightower sacked Matt Ryan, causing the Falcons quarterback to fumble. The Patriots recovered the loose football at the Atlanta 25-yard line with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter to set up a touchdown and spark a comeback from a 16-point deficit that New England turned into a 34-28 overtime victory on Feb. 5, 2017. In the Patriots’ 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019, Hightower recorded two sacks, three quarterback hits and a pass breakup.

Joe Namath, quarterback, New York Jets

Namath followed Bart Starr as former Alabama quarterbacks who won the Super Bowl MVP Award. The Jets QB guaranteed the AFL team would win Super Bowl III, even though the NFL champ had handily taken the first two Super Bowls. Then Namath completed 17-of-28 passes for 206 yards – without throwing a pass in the fourth quarter — in the Jets’ 16-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts on Jan. 12, 1969.

Antowain Smith, running back, New England Patriots

The former Stanhope Elmore standout was the Patriots’ leading rusher in New England’s first two Super Bowl victories. Smith ran for 92 yards on 18 carries in a 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI on Feb. 3, 2002, and he had 83 yards on 26 carries and scored a fourth-quarter TD in a 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 1, 2004.

John Stallworth, wide receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers

From Tuscaloosa High School and Alabama A&M, Stallworth won four Super Bowl rings with Pittsburgh. In his final two Super Bowl appearances, Stallworth caught three passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the Steelers’ 35-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII on Jan. 21, 1979, and had three receptions for 121 yards and one TD in Pittsburgh’s 31-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV on Jan. 20, 1980.

Bart Starr, quarterback, Green Bay Packers

From Sidney Lanier High School in Montgomery and an Alabama alumnus, Starr was the MVP of the first two Super Bowls by guiding the Packers to a pair of victories. He completed 16-of-23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I on Jan. 15, 1967, and 13-of-24 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown in a 33-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II on Jan. 14, 1968.

Justin Tuck, defensive end, New York Giants

A former Central-Coosa star, Tuck played in two Super Bowls, and he sacked Tom Brady twice in each of them. Tuck also had six tackles and forced a fumble as the Giants ended the New England Patriots’ perfect season with a 17-14 victory in Super Bowl LXII on Feb. 3, 2008, and he had three tackles and pressured Brady into an intentional-grounding penalty in the end zone for a safety in the Giants’ 21-17 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 5, 2012.

DeMarcus Ware, outside linebacker, Denver Broncos

In his 11th NFL season, Ware earned his first NFL championship ring in the Broncos’ 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7, 2016. The former Auburn High School and Troy standout had five tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hits as Denver harassed Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, who’d been named the NFL Most Valuable Player for the 2015 season the previous day.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.