SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Najee Harris expects to be well-represented in the stands at Levi’s Stadium. But he isn’t betting on seeing as many No. 22 jerseys in the seats as No. 13s, although Tua Tagovailoa debunked the report that he will have 400 family members at Monday’s game.

“Never more than Tua,” Harris said Saturday. “No, not that much. Maybe like 12.”

The sophomore running back will play in his native Bay Area for the first time in his college career Monday, Jan. 7, when the Crimson Tide faces Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. He said his high school head coach and offensive coordinator, trainers, 7-on-7 coach and Pop Warner coach will be in attendance.

Harris hails from Antioch, Calif., but chose to play in Tuscaloosa, Ala., over Ann Arbor, Mich., as a five-star prospect in the 2017 recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He said the biggest adjustment, to no surprise, was getting used to Alabama’s humidity.

“It was tough in my first year,” Harris said. “I was passing out -- not passing out, but I was on the ground a lot, man, at practice. I wasn’t used to that humidity.”

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound tailback is one of six California natives on Alabama’s 2018-19 roster, and the players from the Golden State have discussed how excited they are to play in their home state.

“It’s good to represent north Cali,” Harris said. “Even when I’m over there, I try to represent it as much as I can, wearing all types of northern Cali stuff, necklaces and bracelets and all that. To be back home, it’s even better. I’m trying to put on a show, we’ll see how stuff goes.

“But it’s good to be back home.”

This season, Harris ranks second among Tide running backs with 724 yards and four touchdowns on 108 carries. The sophomore averages a team-high 6.7 yards per carry with 17 of his carries going for 12-plus yards and 33 resulting in a first down or a score. This fall, Harris has built off his breakout performance in last season’s CFP national championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

But he doesn’t see it that way.

“It’s not really a confidence builder or a spark at all because I know what I can do when I get in the game,” Harris said. “So, I’m not really shocked or amazed about what I do.”

Running back Najee Harris talks to reporters at Alabama's Media Day.

Is it hard for the former five-star recruit to wait his turn at Alabama?

“To be honest, yeah,” Harris said. “I think every running back here would be.

“But you’ve just got to wait for your opportunity. When your name’s called, just make sure you perform in the way that they can keep you on the field.”

As he gets set to play for another national title and a little more than on hour from his hometown, 12th-year Alabama head coach Nick Saban was asked about Harris and his involvement in 2018.

“Najee has played really, really well for us all year long,” Saban said. “He's a very talented guy. He's a hard worker. And we always like to have two or three guys at that position that can play. I think it keeps everybody fresh. It keeps everybody healthy rather than having one guy that's carrying the ball, maybe, a lot of turns every game and they get wore down as the season goes on.

“We've been fortunate to have three guys that have made a real impact at that position, different guys in different games, and Najee certainly has had his share of that.

“I'm sure as any competitor would like, he would love to play more and get more opportunities, but I think his time will come. He has improved each year, and we try to get him to stay focused on what he needs to do to continue to improve as a player, and when he gets his opportunities, he'll take advantage of them.”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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