Tyler Booker on transfer status with Alabama: 'Everybody knows not to hit me up'
Alabama head coach Nick Saban‘s surprising retirement on January 10 was followed by the Crimson Tide hiring former Washington head coach Kalen BeBoer as their next head football coach two days later. But overall, the head coaching turnover was followed by a mass transfer portal exodus for the Crimson Tide program, with 29 Alabama players entering the portal so far this offseason.
Big names like Caleb Downs, Kadyn Proctor, and Julian Sayin have already committed to their next destinations following their departures. But Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker made it very clear that he isn’t going anywhere after he was asked if other coaching staffs have contacted him about entering the transfer portal.
“A few coaching staffs reached out to me last year before going into my sophomore season, so that year, and only one coaching staff hit me up since Coach Saban retired,” Booker said in a recent appearance on ‘The Next Round’. “But everybody really knows not to hit me up because they know my stance on Alabama and they pretty much know how I feel about this program.”
Booker appeared in 12 games in his true freshman season and made his first career start in the Sugar Bowl, named to the Freshman All-SEC Team and the Freshman All-American Team by Pro Football Focus after rotating in at both guard spots in 2022.
But he took his game to another level in 2023, starting in 12 games at left guard where he had 41 knockdown blocks, allowed just 2.5 total sacks and 4.5 pressures on the season, and only missed three assignments to earn First-Team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press. Expressing the desire to continue building on what he’s accomplished at Alabama and show continued loyalty to the program.
“And then if you ask anybody about me they’re gonna know that I’m really big on loyalty, I’m really big on family, you know what I mean? I’m big on family and I’m big on legacy, and what I’ve accomplished so far, what we’ve accomplished so far,” Booker said.
Booker helped lead the improved Alabama offense to their undefeated season in conference play capped off with an SEC Championship win over Georgia, snapping the Bulldogs’ 29-game winning streak. But following the team’s overtime loss in the College Football Playoff to Michigan, Booker strives to return to the CFP stage and bring a title back to Tuscaloosa, regardless of who his head coach may be.
“Of course, we gotta go out and win a national championship, but I wouldn’t trade what I’ve done so far for the world,” Booker concluded.