This team was really tight.

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Landon Dickerson surprised everyone outside of Alabama’s football program when he took part in warmups and was on the field at Hard Rock Stadium for the final snap of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday.

Dickerson suffered a season-ending knee injury late in the SEC Championship Game against Florida and underwent successful surgery, head coach Nick Saban said on Dec. 28. Less than a month after that, Dickerson was in full uniform and wanted to play more than he did.

Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Saturday, Dickerson shared what it was like playing in the final game of the 2020-21 season less than four weeks after suffering a major knee injury.

“It was an amazing experience,” Dickerson said. “I mean, it’s something I could really only dream of until it happened. Being able to go out there one last time with this team and just be a part of something really special, those opportunities come around once in a lifetime. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Dickerson was first spotted when the quarterbacks and special teams players were on the field for pregame warmups. He was dressed out and snapping to Mac Jones, Bryce Young and the rest of the Crimson Tide signal-callers. But once drills started, he stood off to the side. However, when he saw an opportunity to get into the championship game, he pounced on it.

“I really ran up to (Saban) and I asked him if I could take the last couple of snaps,” Dickerson said. “After that 3rd and 9 where B-Rob got the first down, I knew we were gonna go into our victory formation. I cleared it with Jeff Allen, our head trainer, and Dr. Cain, and they were good with it, so I went up and asked him if I could go in, and he said that was fine.”

As Dickerson said, Saban allowed it, and the redshirt senior center returned to the post he had filled in the first 11 games of the season. But not before he hugged everyone in the huddle.

“We were just telling each other we love each other, and we were just so happy in that moment,” Dickerson said. “We’ve come so far, we’ve fought through so much this year with COVID, having an All-SEC schedule and just all the adversity and uncertainty we went through. Just to be able to embrace that moment with my team, the guys that I’ve been around this whole year and what we’ve accomplished, it was really unbelievable just to be out there.”

Dickerson will likely move on to the NFL after two seasons in Tuscaloosa -- although he has yet to announce whether he is entering the draft or choosing to return for a sixth year. Whatever he chooses to do, he doesn’t expect the knee injury to be a long-term problem for him.

“The road ahead, pretty much, is we’re just gonna take it day by day,” Dickerson said. “I’m gonna do my rehab, work out, get stronger and get back to normal. I don’t see this causing any issues. I’m gonna get over it just fine.”