Earnest Greene III had a nice surprise when he stepped off Georgia's Delta charter into the California sunshine.

The Bulldogs had just arrived in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon for Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship Game. When Greene emerged from the plane, he saw his parents waiting for him.

"I was surprised myself. I promise you they didn’t tell me that or anything," Greene said. "Just getting off the plane, seeing my parents on the runway, my mom and my pops, it was just a welcome home experience for me. I’m just really, truly blessed to be able to come back to the national championship in Los Angeles where I was born and raised."

Greene is one of four California natives on Georgia's roster. Tight end Brock Bowers (Napa), running back Kendall Milton (Fresno), and receiver Nathan Priestley (Los Angeles) also call the state home.

Milton said he still has family across the country. His four final schools—Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Ohio State—were all far from home.

But this game gives him the chance to, as he put it, "play in front of the people that basically watched me grow up playing."

"I talked to my parents yesterday and they already drove up," Milton said. "It’s like a three-and-a-half-hour drive. That’s probably the shortest time they’ve had to travel, really. They were excited to be able to come down and have me play close to home again."

Milton said his parents attend most of Georgia's home games. So too do Bowers' parents. They actually keep a condo in Athens for use on gameday weekends.

But now their son is coming home, at least in a relative sense. Bowers' home of Napa is 400 miles from Los Angeles, so Bowers' parents will still be hopping on a short flight to attend the game.

"It just feels good to be kind of back on this side of the United States," Bowers said. "I have a little bit more family and friends coming, so that’s always cool to get to see them for the first time in a while. I’m excited about that."

Each of these players has had their own journey to this point. Bowers has followed his stellar freshman season with another solid campaign. Milton has battled injuries but has been playing his best football of late. Greene underwent back surgery that has sidelined him most of the season.

But each path has led back to the West Coast in the biggest game of the year.

"Just kind of a roller coaster year, but it was all a great experience," Greene said. "It was just kind of a cherry on top to come back home for the last game."