2025 College Football Playoff Championship: Coco Jones, Spelman College Glee Club, and more
A general view of the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy before the Goodyear Cotton Bowl between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium on January 10, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/G
ATLANTA - The College Football Playoff (CFP) has announced an exciting array of pregame entertainment for the 2025 National Championship, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The event will feature a mix of music, tradition, and tributes to American heroes and educators.
Headlining the pregame festivities is GRAMMY award-winning artist Coco Jones, who will perform the National Anthem. Jones, a 27-year-old Nashville native known for her soulful voice, will be accompanied by award-winning Music Director Adam Blackstone. The anthem ceremony will also include a Joint Armed Forces Color Guard representing all six branches of the U.S. military and a giant American flag unfurled by Atlanta community volunteers. Continuing a CFP tradition, drummers from the participating team bands will integrate into the performance.
Adding to the patriotic celebration, the Spelman College Glee Club will open the pregame show with a stirring rendition of "America the Beautiful." Directed by Dr. Kevin Johnson, the Glee Club is the oldest collegiate choir for African American women in the United States, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
Two local students, Johrgia Peaches, 14, from Newnan, and Alexander Charlot, 20, from Monroe, will perform "America the Beautiful" and "The Star-Spangled Banner," respectively, in American Sign Language. Both students attend the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf.
During "America the Beautiful," fans will witness a live video feed of U.S. Airmen deployed overseas in the U.S. Central Command region. The National Anthem will spotlight members of the U.S. Army’s 21st Theater Sustainment Command stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany. This year’s celebration also honors the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
In a tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose legacy is commemorated annually on this day, Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, will participate in the coin toss. The pregame celebration will also highlight educators as part of the CFP Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers initiative, recognizing Teachers of the Year from every U.S. state and territory for their contributions to education.
The festivities will honor Medal of Honor recipient Corporal (Ret.) Kyle Carpenter, recognized during the game for his heroic actions in Afghanistan, where he shielded a fellow Marine from a grenade blast in 2010. The marching bands of the participating teams—No. 7 seed University of Notre Dame and No. 8 seed Ohio State University—will perform during the pregame and halftime shows. Pregame, halftime, and postgame events inside the stadium will be produced by Michael T. Fiur Productions.
Returning as in-stadium emcee for the third consecutive year, ESPN sideline reporter Stormy Buonantony will be joined by DJ Mal-Ski, known for his high-energy performances. Mal-Ski will collaborate with six drummers from Clark Atlanta University’s Mighty Marching Panthers Drumline, highlighting the precision and pageantry of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Festivities at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, with kickoff scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET. Fans can find more information at collegefootballplayoff.com.
The Source: The details in this article were provided by the College Football Playoff.