Alabama OL Tyler Booker: Kalen DeBoer Hasn't Flinched Whilst Following Nick Saban

Tyler Booker is beyond confident in new head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer and his players on April 13, 2024. / Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Saturday was a big day for new Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer. As well as marking the official end of his first spring practices at the helm of the Crimson Tide, the game was also an opportunity for him to experience the fanbase coming out in force.

More than 72,000 fans took to Bryant-Denny Stadium for the scrimmage, which featured a new offense vs. defense format that ended in a 34-28 win for the offense. Following the game, offensive lineman Tyler Booker, one of the contest's standout players, shared the sentiment that DeBoer hasn't flinched at all facing the challenge of following Nick Saban.

"I feel like whoever took this job had the heart, because they knew what they were succeeding after Coach Saban," Booker said. "Just to be able to have the wherewithal to take this job and have the pride to do so... He just continues to earn it, continues to prove why he was the guy for this job."

DeBoer called Saturday a special day, cracking a joke that the attendance during spring football in his time at Sioux Falls fell just short of the mark set at A-Day. He was struck by the excitement of the locker room and the gameday feeling in Tuscaloosa. "The energy... was something that kind of hit me today," he said. Booker said it felt like a regular home game and rated Saturday his best A-Day so far.

"I know what it was like my first time coming to a few Alabama games," Booker said. "I can only imagine how excited Coach DeBoer is." He added that DeBoer is one of one. "There's only one Coach Saban. There's also only gonna be one Coach DeBoer. Coach DeBoer is always walking around with a smile on his face." His energy at practice is something Booker described as amazing.

Booker was awarded after the scrimmage for his performance, during which he and DeBoer shared a moment at midfield. He received both the Paul Crane Offensive Lineman Award and the Dwight Stephenson Award for most valuable lineman. He was honored by the distinctions, but is aiming higher: "I'm working to be recognized as the top offensive lineman in the entire country, and then [Alabama] be recognized as the best team in the country."