Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Football announce 2024 team captains before season opener
In a twist, Alabama released its team captains for the 2024 campaign on Tuesday. The team captains are quarterback Jalen Milroe, linebacker Deontae Lawson, offensive lineman Tyler Booker and defensive back Malachi Moore.
When Nick Saban was the head coach of the Crimson Tide, the program named its captains after the regular season concluded. However, this decision appears to be another sign of changing times in Tuscaloosa.
In addition to being leaders, Alabama’s captains participate in the coin toss before games. They are also celebrated on the UA campus, as every spring, their hand and cleat prints are immortalized in cement in the shadow of Denny Chimes, along with all of the past captains.
This season is Milroe and Moore’s second year in a row as captains. The pair lived up to their titles last year. In the 2023 season, Milroe tallied 2,718 passing yards and 23 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions.
Milroe also amassed 531 yards and 12 touchdowns in the ground game. Further, Milroe posted a 172.2 passer efficiency rating, the second-highest rating in the SEC and fifth-best in the country.
Meanwhile, Moore recorded 52 tackles, including five for loss, five passes deflections, one quarterback hurry and one interception. The 2024 season is Lawson’s first as a captain but it’s not his first year as a significant contributor for the Crimson Tide.
Last season, Lawson recorded 67 tackles to rank second on UA, including 5.5 for loss (-26 yards) and three sacks (-21 yards). He also notched four quarterback hurries and four pass breakups. He was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award for his efforts.
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While Lawson rushed opposing quarterbacks, Booker protected Alabama’s. Booker started 12 games for Alabama and earned first team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press. The 6-foot-5 standout only allowed 2.5 total sacks and 4.5 pressures across 676 snaps.
Alabama will need all four of its captains at the top of their respective games to reach its goals this season. With Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Oklahoma each on the schedule, Alabama won’t have a moment to rest in the 2024 campaign.
The pressure is high in DeBoer’s first season at the helm of the Crimson Tide. However, he wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I always kind of term it – it’s maybe a little bit too simple, but not having expectations, that isn’t fun to be a part of,” DeBoer said earlier this month. “It’s fun to see the turnarounds. I’ve been a part of that, too.
“Growing culture and what it looks like from maybe not a good culture to one that’s a championship-caliber culture. I certainly have felt that, and it’s been great. I’d much rather be a part of something that has a lot of expectations.”