The 2009 SEC Championship Game: The breakthrough moment Alabama once again became a college football power.

After two straight undefeated regular seasons, they managed to slay the dragon, er, Gators led by Tim Tebow, head coach Urban Meyer and a roster full of NFL talent with a dominant performance to secure Nick Saban’s first SEC championship as the Alabama head coach.

Javier Arenas intercepted Tebow late to help secure the win, as Alabama’s offensive stars Greg McElroy (the MVP), Mark Ingram (who did enough to win Alabama’s first-ever Heisman Trophy) and Marquis Maze. The Tide would face Texas in the BCS Championship Game in Pasadena, winning 37-21 and giving the program its first title in 17 years.

But where are the stars of the 2009 conference game? Many went to the NFL, some moved on to high profile coaching jobs, others went elsewhere. Fourteen years later, we wanted to take a look back at the main characters who launched the Saban dynasty, winning his first of nine conference titles at Alabama, and catch up with what several prominent individuals (including those on the Gators) are doing today.

RELATED: Alabama football then & now: Where the 2009 national championship game stars are today

Nick Saban

Saban won his first SEC championship at Alabama in the win against Florida and would win the school’s first national title since 1992. The win over the Gators came after Urban Meyer’s team beat the undefeated Crimson Tide in the 2008 edition of the conference finale. Florida would go on to defeat Oklahoma in the BCS Championship Game. The win over the Gators marked a passing of the torch in the SEC and college football, with Saban and Alabama further establishing themselves as the best in the sport for the next decade-plus.

Saban has won six national championships at Alabama, amassing 200 wins and just 28 losses to form college football’s modern dynasty, perhaps even surpassing the golden years of the Paul “Bear” Bryant era in Tuscaloosa. The last title came in 2020 when the Tide dominated Ohio State in a perfect season. They reached the CFP final again in 2021 before losing to Georgia and failed to make the final four in 2022, although they played Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl to finish the year 11-2. While some thought the most recent season showed signs Saban’s coaching window might be closing, he just signed another top recruiting class and does not appear to be slowing down. His 2023 Alabama team finished the regular season 11-1 and will face Georgia in the SEC Championship Game Dec. 2.

RELATED: Alabama football then and now: Where the 2012 national championship game stars are today

Kirby Smart

Smart joined Saban’s staff in 2007 before taking over as defensive coordinator the next year up until the 2015 season, helping the Tide win four national championships with one dominant defense after another. Smart took over as Georgia’s head coach in 2016, amassing an impressive 93-15 overall record with nine bowl victories, including the 2023 College Football Playoff championship. He led the Bulldogs to a national championship game appearance in 2017 after defeating Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl. But he would fall to his old boss Nick Saban after Tua Tagovailoa connected with DeVonta Smith for a walk-off touchdown pass in overtime. Smart was 0-4 against Saban before he and his Bulldogs finally beat his old boss in the 2022 CFP final. Georgia will look to three-peat if they beat Alabama in the upcoming SEC title game. Recruiting and winning at a high level, Smart should remain at or near the top of the mountain for the foreseeable future.

Jim McElwain

One of the architects of Alabama’s first two national championships, McEwlain took the offensive coordinator job in 2008. He finished his career with two straight titles before taking the Colorado State head coaching job. He took the Florida gig in 2015, when he was named the SEC Coach of the Year in his debut season. He led the Gators to two straight Eastern Division titles, but was subsequently defeated in the conference game by Alabama each season. He left Florida in 2017, became wide receivers coach at Michigan in 2018, before being hired as head coach at Central Michigan, where he has spent the last five seasons.

Greg McElroy

In his first season as starting quarterback, McElroy proved himself to be much more than just a game manager and led the Tide’s balanced offensive attack to an impressive undefeated season, including a standout SEC championship game performance where he earned MVP honors behind 239 passing yards and a touchdown, along with a nifty sideline scamper to earn a crucial first down. McElroy put up impressive stats during his senior season at Alabama and played a few games in the NFL for the New York Jets, but he quickly pivoted to television, impressing early on as an analyst and color commentator for ESPN. The former Tide QB now co-hosts “McElroy & Cubelic in the Morning” for WJOX, airing daily from 7-10 a.m. The show replaced the station’s long-running morning show “The Roundtable.”

Mark Ingram

Alabama’s first-ever Heisman Trophy-winner churned for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns as the focal point of the Tide’s offense. Ingram capped his campaign with 113 rushing yards and three touchdowns and 76 receiving yards, becoming one of the most celebrated figures in Crimson Tide history. The first-round NFL draft pick earned three Pro Bowl selections playing for the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens during his first 10 seasons as a pro. He played the 2021 season with the Houston Texans and the Saints and played 10 games with New Orleans in 2022 before leaving the field to become one of the analysts on Fox Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show.

Julio Jones

The superstar recruit from Foley made an impact on and off the field at Alabama, helping to change the attitude and identity of the program with a team-first mentality and performance at wide receiver. With Alabama’s running game leading the offense, Jones accounted for 596 yards and four touchdowns but forced opponents to key on his every move, opening the way for the rest of Alabama’s offense. He had two catches for 28 yards in the Florida game, but his presence was widely felt. Jones was picked seventh overall in the 2011 NFL draft, earning five All-Pro and seven Pro Bowl selections as arguably the league’s best receiver. After spending a decade with the Falcons, Jones played an injury-riddled season with the Tennessee Titans and will suit up with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022. The Philadelphia Eagles signed Jones during the 2023 season, making him teammates with fellow former Alabama players Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson and Josh Jobe.

Trent Richardson

The highly touted freshman from Pensacola, Fla., could have started literally anywhere else in the SEC, let alone the country. But he and Heisman-winner Mark Ingram made for a formidable backfield all season, culminating in a dominant national title game performance. Richardson ran for 80 yards on 11 carries in the SEC title game.. After being selected third overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2011 NFL Draft, Richardson had a strong rookie season, gaining 950 rushing yards and scoring 11 touchdowns. He struggled in subsequent seasons with the Browns and Indianapolis Colts, sending him on a winding professional football path during which he played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Birmingham Iron. In May 2021, Richardson signed a one-year contract to play for the Caudillos de Chihuahua, a franchise in Futbol Americano de Mexico. The Doak Walker Award winner and unanimous All-American remains one of the Tide’s all-time great running backs.

Marquis Maze

Born in Birmingham, Maze attended Tarrant High School. After initially committing to Michigan, Maze flipped to Alabama in 2007. He redshirted his freshman year and saw the field the next season, scoring a touchdown in the final minutes of the Iron Bowl in 2008 on a throw from then-backup quarterback Greg McElroy. For the next two seasons, Maze established himself as Alabama’s second option at wide receiver playing alongside Julio Jones. He had five catches for 96 yards in the SEC title game in 2009. In 2011, Maze became the Tide’s primary receiver as well as a gifted punt returner. During a return in the BCS Championship Game against LSU, Maze injured his hamstring and did not return, but he finished his career with two national championships and three SEC titles. He went undrafted and later signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was later waived. Today, Maze is active on social media, most recently trolling Auburn fans ahead of the 2023 Iron Bowl.

Rolando McClain

The Decatur High School graduate finished first-team All-SEC in both 2008 and 2009, and during his junior season, he was named unanimous All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and he won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. He recorded five tackles in the conference title game and famously would not allow teammates to dump Gatorade on Nick Saban after the victory because they had unfinished business in the national championship game. McClain is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of the Nick Saban era or any era in Alabama history. He was selected eighth overall in the first round by the Oakland Raiders in 2010. A series of off-the-field incidents would impact his football career beginning in December 2011 when he was arrested and charged with assault in the third degree, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm inside the city limits in an incident that took place in his hometown of Decatur. He would also play for the Dallas Cowboys. McClain has maintained contact with his former head coach Nick Saban and the Alabama program since leaving in 2009. McClain received his degree from the University of Alabama during winter commencement in 2017. Read more.

Javier Arenas

One of college football’s most dynamic kick/punt returners, Arenas also contributed on the defensive end as the Tide’s productive nickel DB. Along with his two tackles and three kickoff returns for 79 yards total, Arenas helped ice the SEC championship when, early in the fourth quarter, he intercepted a Tebow pass in the end zone on 4th-and-goal, forcing the only turnover of the game. After NFL stints with the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills, Arenas retired from playing and switched to coaching. He’s now an assistant coach under Nick Saban, working with the secondary and special teams.

Kareem Jackson

Crucial in building the Alabama program under Nick Saban, Jackson was in the 2007 recruiting class and earned freshman All-American honors before enjoying two more seasons as one of the SEC’s best cornerbacks. He finished the SEC title game in 2009 with six tackles and would enter the NFL Draft where he was selected 20th overall by the Houston Texans. Now a stalwart in the Denver Broncos secondary (along with Patrick Surtain II), Jackson has had a rocky 2023, receiving multiple fines and suspensions for illegal hits.

Tim Tebow

A 2-time national champion and Heisman Trophy-winner, Tim Tebow is widely considered one of the greatest players in college football history. He defeated Alabama in the 2008 SEC title game on his way to a BCS championship win over Oklahoma before the Tide got revenge the next season, when Tebow threw for 247 yards with one touchdown and a late interception. He was a late first-round pick by the Denver Broncos and led the team to a playoff appearance and one win in 2011 before moving on to the New York Jets the next year. He also played for the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, and then had a brief preseason stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars under his former coach Urban Meyer in 2021. Tebow is now a college football analyst for the SEC Network and one of the star panelists on the network’s weekly pregame show “SEC Nation.” Tebow also appeared in the Netflix sports documentary series “Untold: Swamp Kings” depicting the Florida football program under Urban Meyer.

Urban Meyer

Prior to his Florida tenure, Meyer was head coach at Bowling Green and then Utah. He won two national titles in Gainesville before leaving the program in 2010. He later coached at Ohio State where he won the inaugural College Football Playoff, defeating Alabama in the semifinal. He left Columbus in 2018 but would return to coaching in 2021 for the Jacksonville Jaguars, a tumultuous time that would end before he could finish his first season after going 2-11. Meyer now works as a panelist on Fox Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show, along with former Tide running back Mark Ingram. Meyer would also appear in the Netflix documentary series “Untold: Swamp Kings.”

Eryk Anders

The reliable Alabama linebacker recorded three tackles against the Gators, and he would come up huge in the BCS title game. The Longhorns had the ball with 6:15 left in the game before Anders came unblocked for a blindside strip-sack, giving the Tide possession and ultimately clinching their 13th national championship. Anders played some professional football, signing with the Cleveland Browns for a short stint before playing in the Canadian and Arena Football Leagues. But he traded the pads for gloves and pursued a career in mixed martial arts in which he competes in the middleweight division for Ultimate Fighting Championship. Anders currently has an MMA record of 24 wins (with nine knockouts) and 15 losses.

Leigh Tiffin

Son of famed former Alabama kicker Van Tiffin, Leigh enjoyed a long career in the same position for the Crimson Tide, culminating with an All-American season and a national championship under Nick Saban. Tiffin hit both of his field goal attempts in the game, along with two out of three extra point efforts. He signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2010 but was later waived/injured. The Muscle Shoals native is married with two children. Leigh and Van Tiffin served as honorary captains for Alabama’s 2023 home game against Chattanooga.

Verne Lundquist

A legendary sports broadcaster for decades, Lundquist served as the CBS college football play-by-play announcer from 2000 until 2016. With color commentator and former Purdue quarterback Gary Danielson, the pair became a fixture during the rise of the Southeastern Conference as the dominant power in college football, often polarizing fan bases viewing the games on TV. Now 83, Lundquist remains a largely beloved figure in the industry and continues to call some sports for CBS. He recently indicated the 2024 Masters Tournament would likely be his last. He lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Brandon Spikes

A 2-time national champion and consensus All-American linebacker, Spikes was the heart of Florida’s defense under Urban Meyer. Spikes finished with nine total tackles in the SEC title game, including one tackle for loss. He later played seven sevens in the NFL, with the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills. He later appeared in the Netflix documentary series “Untold: Swamp Kings,” released in 2023.

Aaron Hernandez

A first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC tight end at Florida, Hernandez was a star in Urban Meyer’s offense. Hernandez would play three seasons in the NFL for the New England Patriots, playing alongside Tom Brady, before he was arrested and convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd in 2013. While on trial, he was also indicted for the 2012 double homicide of of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. He was acquitted after a 2017 trial. Days after the acquittal, Hernandez was found dead in his cell. His death was ruled a suicide. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, Pool, File)