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Alabama football offensive lineman Tyler Booker continues to add to his resume. After receiving first-team All-SEC honors last season, the 20-year-old is now a Crimson Tide captain.
Booker sounded off on what the captaincy means to him, via AL.com's Nick Kelly.
“Alabama OL Tyler Booker: ‘It’s great to add (team captain) to my legacy, but the best thing to add to my legacy would be a national championship. That’s what we’re focused on right now,'” Booker admitted.
Booker will play an integral role on an Alabama team looking to maintain its excellence after legendary coach Nick Saban's departure. The Crimson Tide are ranked fifth in the preseason AP Poll, but their offensive line has much to prove, as the unit allowed the most sacks in the SEC last year and the fifth-most in FBS.
Booker, though, is confident that the boys up front will produce this season.
Tyler Booker has faith in the new Alabama football coaching staff
The Crimson Tide had a hectic offensive line coach journey after Saban left. New head coach Kalen DeBoer brought along Scott Huff from Washington to run the unit, but Huff then bailed for the Seattle Seahawks on February 11. Eight days later, Alabama landed former Baylor offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, who Booker is confident in, via The Next Round.
“Coach Kap is really really focused on scheme,” Booker said. “What fans are going to see is we're going to have a much deeper understanding of the scheme, we're going to be assignment perfect and coach Kap brings the juice, something that he's carried along with the other schools he's been at is the Juice Squad club.”
The “Juice Squad,” of course, refers to the five young men who will protect Crimson Tide signal-caller Jalen Milroe.
“The Juice Squad pretty much means that the offensive line has to set the tone for any football team, and [Kapilovic] sees setting the tone as juice,” Booker continued. “We're the juice squad, we're going to be the tone-setter for the team…as it should be.”
Booker, though, also has faith in his teammates. One that the 6-foot-5, 352-pounder is specifically excited about is Washington transfer center Parker Brailsford, who went to Tuscaloosa along with DeBoer.
“Parker is essentially a coach on the field for us because he's played in that scheme for two years previously,” Booker said. “He understands what coach DeBoer is looking for and he understands the purpose of the play.”
However, Booker's praise isn't all talk. The “Juice Squad” has already bonded off the field.
“When Parker just got here, I had him come over and the rest of the offensive line, had my girlfriend make some food and we just watched a bunch of film,” Booker said. “But he was like ‘Okay, this what this play is.' But when he said, ‘Okay, let's say this is inside zone,' he called it something like, ‘This is what we called it last year, and this is what it is now.' He's really been a coach on the field and very helpful. It also helps that he's super talented and super explosive. I can't wait to play a real game with him.”
If the Crimson Tide offensive line performs as well as Booker speaks of it, expect Milroe to have plenty of time in the pocket this year.
