Respect for Tyler Booker has pushed Alabama to become a player-led team

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama was wandering in the wilderness in the middle of this season, suffering two losses in three weeks to Vanderbilt and Tennessee and looking identity-less in the way it played football.

Since that second loss, the Crimson Tide has come alive, beating back-to-back ranked SEC opponents by a combined score of 76-13. There’s a new energy around the team, and it’s primarily rooted in the leadership of one particular player: left guard Tyler Booker.

Booker is one of Alabama’s best football players, projected to be a high selection in this spring’s NFL Draft. But more so than Booker’s abilities on the field, he’s been the vocal leader this team has needed to regroup and hit its stride down the stretch of this season.

At the beginning of this season, Booker was named one of four permanent team captains, voted on by the rest of the team. He was named a captain alongside quarterback Jalen Milroe, defensive back Malachi Moore and linebacker Deontae Lawson. While the latter three have all been excellent leaders in their own right, both players and coaches have been clear that Booker’s leadership has risen above the rest over the last few weeks of the season.

“I can’t credit him enough. I think he’s been fantastic. He’s obviously an exceptional football player. His leadership throughout the course of this season has been outstanding. We’re going to continue to lean on him in that regard,” offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said. “I think he’s become more and more comfortable holding people accountable, challenging people. We’ve made a concerted effort to let him know we have his back in that way. Everybody in the program respects Tyler Booker, so when he sees something that’s not up to par, he has the authority to make sure he holds people accountable. I think that’s what great leaders do. He is that. There’s no doubt about it. He’s obviously an exceptional football player. But his influence on our team and our side of the football, not just with the offensive line but all the positions, has been exceptional. We expect that to continue.”

Booker has been an excellent leader in terms of his encouragement, but he’s also been the enforcer the team has needed when it comes to holding his teammates accountable. Players and coaches throughout the season have continually spoken of the way Booker has demanded nothing but the best from the guys he shares a locker room with.

“Definitely vocally, getting on everybody. That’s what you need to do,” left tackle Kadyn Proctor said. “If the coach isn’t enough, you’ve got Book on you, and he’ll make sure everything’s straight. Even the little things like jogging to the line, that’s the stuff that’s important. They always say coach-led teams are good teams, player-led teams are great teams, you know what I’m saying? You’re going to war and battle with these guys every single day. Coaches can’t go out there and do it for you. It’s just a different perspective.”

Teams that are led by players, as Proctor said, typically execute small details much more successfully. Having players that command the respect that Booker does changes everything about how a team is run, and changes it for the better.

However, there are some teams full of players that don’t respond well to accountability from their teammates. Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic said Booker’s leadership style is never too much, and always in the best interest of spurring the team on to success.

“He’s really been good, I always feel like some teams have guys that talk, and sometimes it’s too much and some guys drain it out. That’s not the case with him at all,” Kapilovic said. “He’s always on point. He challenges his teammates when it needs to happen. Everybody in this building respects the heck out of him because of what he does and who he is. There’s nothing stronger than the players talking. As coaches, they’re expecting us to correct them and push them, but when you’ve got your peers pushing you, it’s impactful.”

The praise for Booker comes from everyone. His teammates, his position coach, his coordinator, and of course, head coach Kalen DeBoer, who gave him one of the highest possible compliments.

DeBoer said Booker is one of the best leaders he’s ever been around.

“I can’t give him enough praise. I can say this because I know he handles it. He can handle it well. It’s not something that goes to his head,” DeBoer said. “He is so passionate about this place. He’s so passionate about being the best he can be. He’s got a resiliency that has helped us as a team also have that level of response to adversity that’s been positive. He just keeps pushing. He’s got respect amongst his teammates at the highest level.

“From a leadership standpoint, he’s vocal, but obviously he leads by example all at the same time. The combination, he might be one of the best leaders I’ve ever been around. I know that’s saying a lot because I’ve been around a lot of really good ones. When you put the guys in that category, he’s really special and it’s because he takes care of his business 100-percent of the time and he’s pushing others to make sure that they’re at their best too and I think that’s what great leaders do is they bring the best out of everyone else around them.”

When Alabama looked to be dead in the water a few weeks ago, it now has new life and is well in the mix for the SEC title and College Football Playoff. This team can still accomplish all of its larger goals, and without Booker, there’s no telling whether that would still be true.