Alabama captain Tyler Booker reflects on 2024 season following bowl loss
Alabama offensive lineman and team captain Tyler Booker made the choice alongside the rest of his teammates to opt in and play in the Crimson Tide’s bowl game despite missing the College Football Playoff this season. In what could have been his final game in an Alabama uniform, the team fell at the hands of Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl, 19-13.
Though Booker is one of Alabama’s highest-rated draft prospects and has the potential to declare early as a junior, he remained noncommittal about his future plans after the game.
“I’m not really worried about that right now,” Booker said. “I’m just really enjoying this time with my teammates, I’m going to enjoy some time with my family. I’m not really too worried about that right now.”
Booker was viewed as one of the best leaders on this Alabama team. He was constantly praised by Crimson Tide coaches and teammates throughout the season for the ways he held everyone accountable and to a standard, especially after some tough losses over the course of the year.
Following the loss to Michigan, he reflected on what this season meant to him and what he learned, and brought a valuable perspective.
“How am I gonna remember this season, that’s a good question. It was a tough one,” Booker said. “One that I’ll learn a lot from. One that has made me a better person and a better leader, just having to go through as much adversity as I had to go through, and just coming in every day with a smile on my face and understanding that I have a whole team of men looking at me and looking to me. That means I have to be on my P’s and Q’s every day. I’m just very appreciative for this season, I won’t forget it. I know it didn’t go the way that we wanted, but I feel like everybody’s going to grow from it.”
From an expectations standpoint, it was a roller-coaster season for Alabama that ended in disappointment. The Crimson Tide started the year 4-0, picking up a big win over Georgia and launching up to No. 1 in the rankings, but proceeded to lose two of its next three games to Vanderbilt and Tennessee.
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After that, the team bounced back and looked to be on pace to make the College Football Playoff after another big win over LSU, but lost its penultimate game to Oklahoma, missed the playoff, and lost its fourth game of the season in the bowl game in Tampa.
But each time, Booker was always there for his teammates as a leader. He chose to stick it out and stay at Alabama with the transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer, and will be remembered as such, if not by others, then by his head coach.
“He might be one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around,” DeBoer said earlier this season. “I know that’s saying a lot because I’ve been around a lot of really good ones.”
Booker finished the 2024 season taking home a number of accomplishments, including being named first team All-SEC and earning consensus All-American honors.
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