During the course of his Alabama career, offensive lineman Tyler Booker has developed into one of the top players in the country at his position. A dominant force for Alabama under Nick Saban, he is now being counted upon heavily to help the Kalen DeBoer era begin with success .
On Wednesday, Booker was on site for the SEC Media Day representing the Crimson Tide. His perspective on what the program is built off of demands the same, although it will hopefully look differently in the 2024 season.
“Last year, the mindset was to be dominant, to dominate every play, protect the quarterback, and open up holes in the run game,” Booker said. “We fell short when it came to the passing game. When we wanted to run the game, when we needed to run the ball, we did that effectively. Now we have some new guys on the offensive line and we are honing in on those pass protection skills. I feel like we were missing that last year.
“Our mindset is still the same,” he continued. “We want to go out and dominate. We still want to make people quit and that’s never going to change. That’s a part of being at the University of Alabama.”
The 6-5, 352-pound behemoth couldn’t be more excited to work under Coach DeBoer. His offensive reputation speaks for itself, as does his winning record. As an offensive guard, Booker is looking forward to seeing how that side of the football takes a step forward the next season. The best part, Booker sees a player coach who will allow the team to get comfortable.
“Whatever we want to do, it’s really our team,” explained Booker. “Obviously, he’s the coach and he calls the plays but if we feel comfortable with a certain play call or certain formation, he’s going to cater the offense towards that. Playing for Coach (Nick) Saban over the last couple of years, practices have been skewed a little toward the defense. Now that we have an offensive-minded head coach, maybe the tides will turn this fall. We will see.”
It’s been a long time since Alabama wasn’t the team with the bullseye on their back. That’s what the Crimson Tide is dealing with this season. A lot of people are curious about what they look like on the field, and whether this will be a bit of a transition.
Booker doesn’t worry about what people say, or think. He’s focused on proving any naysayers wrong when it matters most.
“I really don’t pay attention to what people on the outside are talking about,” said Booker. “I’m only worried about what we are talking about on the inside of the building to win. So y’all will be talking about Alabama later in the year.”
Alabama begins the season on August 31st against Western Kentucky at home. Everyone is excited to see what an Alabama program that is built off of defense looks like under Coach DeBoer. We will know very soon.
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