Esquire
Q&A: Katherine Webb, Most Distracting Fan
[as originally published on esquire.com]
It only took about four minutes for the country's attention to turn from a mediocre National Championship game between Notre Dame and Alabama, to Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron's beautiful girlfriend, Katherine Webb, who so astonished ESPN commentator Brent Musburger that he nearly stopped what he was doing all together. The reigning Miss Alabama USA, who actually studied at rival Auburn (and don't think this Tiger didn't notice), has since increased her Twitter followers by more than 150,000 and been offered phone numbers by pro players like Darnell Dockett. While we didn't invite her for wings, we did get to catch up with her by phone on Tuesday to talk about her take on the game, the crazy Twitterverse and her boyfriend, who you may or may not have noticed light up the scoreboard during last night's game. Oh, and Alabama won. In case anyone cared.
LINDSAY MCCORMICK: So, what did your last boyfriend do to impress you?
KATHERINE WEBB: It's been so long! Can we come back to this question?
LM: For myself, and other Auburn fans around the globe, how do you not only date an Alabama fan, but their quarterback?
KW: The majority of my family is Auburn fans, and I grew up watching Auburn football and that's always who I've cheered for. Of course, I love football, but I'm not one of those die-hard fans that never miss a game or with rooms devoted to team colors. At the end of the day, it's just a game. It's more about the person.
LM: Are you sure you're from Alabama?
KW: Yeah, I was born and raised here.
LM: What about during the Iron Bowl?
KW: I haven't thought that far in advance, yet.
LM: Well, then you certainly aren't thinking this far ahead, but if you two were to have a child. We already know it would be victorious, but would it attend Auburn or Alabama?
KW: If it was a boy, then Alabama, since their dad was an Alabama quarterback. If it was a girl, then I'll let her choose. [Laughs.]
LM: While most fans stopped watching the actual game well before the first quarter was over, you were probably still enjoying it. Were there any things you noticed that A.J. could improve on?
KW: It was a blowout! I feel like he got gypped out of the MVP award a little bit. At the same time, the whole team came together and played to the best of their ability. There were a few other standouts as well, but A.J. was amazing. Probably 95 percent of his passes were completed. They also ran the ball well. That offense totally demolished Notre Dame, and the defense held them well. I wasn't expecting for it to be as much of a blowout as it was, but I'm okay with it.
LM: Seeing as how a blowout game like this could help his NFL Draft status, is it wise for him to go back to Bama for another year?
KW: If he has the opportunity to stay another year and grow and develop more as a quarterback, before going into the pros, then why not? Quarterbacking Alabama to national championships in back-to-back seasons has never happened before, so he certainly made history last night. I applaud him for making that decision to stay.
LM: I'm sure Nick Saban does as well. Does he ever crack a smile?
KW: On the field, Saban has to be in that role. He's focused and serious and wants to win. But, Saban and A.J. obviously have a very special relationship. A.J. is probably one of the only guys that can really bring out Saban's true colors. They kid around with each other. It's really cute to see them cut up together. Of course, he smiles. He not as stone-cold as everyone thinks.
LM: That may be breaking news, which you, as of late, would know something about. How aware were you during the game that your Twitter count had gone through the roof?