No. 1 Ranked 2022 Four-Star OT Tyler Booker Adds Alabama to Growing Offer Sheet
Tyler Booker grew up attending Nick Saban football camps at the University of Alabama.
Now, as a rising junior, the elite four-star 2022 offensive tackle has an offer to play for the Crimson Tide. Assistant coach Charles Huff relayed the good news to the 6-foot-5, 300 pound prospect on Tuesday.
"It means a lot really," Booker told BamaCentral. "I have been working for this opportunity since I was going to those camps. I use to dream of going to the University of Alabama and playing there as a young kid and now it is a real possibility. It is a good feeling that of all my hard work is starting to pay off."
Originally from New Haven, CT, Booker transferred from Bergen Catholic High School following his freshman year to football powerhouse, IMG Academy, where he just completed his sophomore season on their national squad.
247Sports rates Booker as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2022 cycle and the 13th overall prospect. The Crimson Tide coaching staff sees that his potential is through the roof on the gridiron but his character is also what makes him an attractive target as well.
"Coach Huff likes how physical I am on the field," Booker said. "He had heard from my coaches at IMG about how I carry myself off the field, too. He said all my coaches had great things to say about me."
Alabama, of course, is no stranger to wrangling talent from IMG. Running back Trey Sanders, linebacker Dylan Moses, offensive lineman Evan Neal, long snapper Thomas Fletcher, and defensive lineman Stephon Wynn Jr. all hail from that football factory in Bradenton, Fla.
What stands out to Booker the most about the Crimson Tide is the amount of players it sends to the professional level and the chance to learn under Saban.
"For one, it is a NFL pipeline," Booker said. "And two, to be able to play under Nick Saban would be a blessing. This the program that NFL teams want to model their programs after. In the NFL there is the 'Patriot Way', they have their own 'Alabama Way'."
His offer sheet is still growing, but Booker holds scholarships from the likes of Michigan State, Penn State, Oregon, Rutgers, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Florida, among others.
Booker says what he is looking for in future destination is simple — a winning culture and tradition.
"I just want to win national championships," Booker said. "I honestly think I will end up playing in the SEC or Big Ten just due to my playing style and how good the competition is in those conferences. I want to go to a place where I can best develop as a player and a man. At the end of the day, I want to be remembered as a legend, and most of the legends come from the SEC and Big 10."
He does have a tie to one Big 10 institution as Booker's uncle, Ulish Booker, was an offensive tackle for Michigan State and ended up winning a Super Bowl as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.
"My uncle and my dad have taught me so much," Booker said. "Everything that my uncle went through, I am going through now, but it is just different with social media. My dad was able to help him in his recruitment and he is doing the same for me. They both want the best for me. They would both be happy wherever I go."
Unfortunately for Booker, he was not able to make visits to Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and LSU due to the COVID-19 outbreak. He says whenever in-person recruiting begins to go back to normal and opens up, he will be taking an unofficial trip to Tuscaloosa.
"I want to see everything through the eyes of a recruit," Booker said of what he would look forward to about his next visit to the Capstone. "I have already been as a camper, so it would be different now. Just getting the attention of the coaches that I had dreamed of getting before."
