TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Tyler Booker was on a different grind last week. With Alabama on bye, Booker had a rare fall Saturday where he didn’t have to worry about blocking a 300-pound defensive lineman.

Instead, during Alabama’s early-season off-week, the Tide’s starting left tackle spent Saturday enjoying a newfound pastime.

“It did feel a little weird having a bye week this early in the season, but I definitely took advantage of the time,” Booker said. “I was able to build a new LEGO set. I was very excited about that.”

While a LEGO set is certainly easier than 60 minutes of SEC football — which Booker is now preparing for this week — the set Booker constructed was no mean feat. Booker spent six straight hours building a LEGO Infinity Gauntlet from Marvel’s "Avengers" series. He built the whole thing in one sitting while watching college football.

​​“I did not get up,” Booker said. “I would be building and then I would look at my phone and be like ‘Oh my gosh, two hours have passed,’ and that happened three times.”

Booker’s love for LEGO sets started over the summer when he had a little more free time before the grind of fall camp and the season began. At first, Booker went for a “realism theme,” with a few of his early LEGO sets being a flower pot and a bonsai tree.

“Now I like the cartoon stuff,” Booker said. “So I think I’m gonna keep going with that. I’ll probably get the Spider-man head next, they’re pretty expensive though.”

Booker isn't the only LEGO fan in Alabama's offensive line unit. Redshirt freshman Olaus Alinen also enjoys the craft. While Booker might be the elder statesman on the field, Alinen is the veteran when it comes to LEGO set construction.

“He showed me some of his sets,” Booker said. “He’s built a lot more than me so I might ask him which one I should build next.”

In addition to a six-hour construction session, Booker also tuned in to watch his friend and former teammate Terrence Ferguson II play for Florida State against Cal. He later watched Tennessee’s win over Oklahoma while on the phone with his father. Booker said the two would watch games together regularly when Booker was growing up in Connecticut.

“To be able to watch it at the same time over the phone, that was great,” Booker said. “We were making some comments. It was a really great time. It was a great Saturday for me.”