Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Booker is amongst the unquestioned leaders of the team and has been amongst the most vocal about his commitment to the Crimson Tide since the retirement of Nick Saban and the hire of Kalen DeBoer.
Booker made his stance known shortly following DeBoer’s introduction as the new head coach that he won’t be going anywhere which has fended off other programs from reaching out to recruit the Crimson Tide’s starting guard.
“Only one coaching staff hit me up since Saban retired,” Booker said during an appearance on The Next Round Live on Monday. “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, and if you ask anybody here about me, they’re gonna know that I’m really big on loyalty. I’m really big on family.”
Unlike Booker, there has been a flurry of players who have decided to test the transfer waters with a total of 25 former members of the team hitting the portal since Jan. 1 along with several more future recruits de-committing with Saban’s departure.
Although Booker understands that each player needs to make the best decision for their future, he made it clear that those who remained at Alabama are moving on.
“We wish them nothing but success, but it’s off to the next,” Booker said. “They didn’t want to be here. They think they have better opportunities elsewhere and that’s a day and age where anybody who comes in college football can take advantage of the opportunity presented. Of course, we wanted you here, but you gotta do what’s best for you, and we’ll do what’s best for us.”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
