TOLEDO, Ohio — Ahead of Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship Game, fans will hear a familiar voice performing the national anthem.
Grammy-award winner Fantasia Barrino will perform the "Star-Spangled Banner" prior to the clash between the University of Washington and the University of Michigan. A former winner of famed reality show "American Idol," Fantasia was recently nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her work as an actress in "The Color Purple."
Drummers from both teams' bands will also be part of the national anthem performance. Along with Fantasia, a 12th-grade student from nearby Deer Park, Texas will perform both the "Star-Spangled Banner" and "America The Beautiful" in American Sign Language.
The Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies will square off in the College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium.
The game is set to kick off at 7:30 ET (6:30 CT) and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Michigan (14-0) is currently ranked #1 in the country, while Washington (14-0) checks in at #2.
More on WTOL:
Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox! WTOL's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed. Click here to get on the list!
Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on-demand content from WTOL 11+.
Our free WTOL 11+ apps are available on Roku and Firetv.
WTOL 11+ features the latest breaking news and weather, plus daily talk shows, coverage of your favorite sports teams from Locked On, fact-checking from VERIFY and the latest trending stories from Daily Blast Live.
Looking for the lowest current local gas prices? Check out the WTOL 11 gas price tracker, powered by Gas Buddy, here.