As a boy, Tyler Steen had a deep understanding of two things that can take others years to comprehend — discipline and sacrifice.

Steen comes from a long line of family members who displayed both of those characteristics during their time serving the country, especially his grandfather, Sgt. Rodney Maxwell Davis. When Tyler’s mother was three months old, Davis volunteered to leave the London Embassy to enlist with the Fifth Marine Division in California, knowing at some point he would be traveling to the frontlines of the Vietnam War.

Around 90 days after arriving in Vietnam, the sergeant and his platoon were ambushed by the North Vietnamese Army. Throughout the night, he directed fire in the trenches while going from soldier to soldier collecting ammunition and encouraging his platoon to stave off the attack. When an enemy grenade fell into the trench, without hesitation, Davis threw himself on top of it absorbing the blast to allow his troops to retreat into the nearby tree line, where they continued to fend off the ambush.

Davis’ death saved countless lives that day as he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

“My grandfather saved a lot of lives by giving up his own,” Steen told Vanderbilt Athletics in 2019. “What he did took a lot of courage, and I definitely take pride in him.”

Tyler’s deep understanding of that two traits permeated throughout his everyday life, but especially on the football field.

With his father Daris, who also served in the Marines, coaching him during rec ball, Tyler was held to a high physical and mental standard. After all, he was “raised by a Marine” as his father put it.

“I never allowed my teams to celebrate,” Daris said. “We’d be killing teams, but we didn’t have the most talented team. I made sure my players were very disciplined and were in very good shape. We (used) a hurry-up offense which would catch a lot of defenses on their heels. The offense allowed players with the average talent to look like superstars. They were in great shape, they were very disciplined, they wouldn’t say anything to you and before you knew it, it was over.”

It also carried over to how Steen controls his emotions on the field. Staying calm is essential for any offensive lineman, but especially at left tackle. Tyler has shown that immediately during his brief stint at Alabama, allowing just one sack over 106 pass-blocking snaps so far this season. He was just as consistent at Vanderbilt.

After beginning his collegiate career on the defensive line, Steen flipped over to the offensive side of the ball starting more than 33 consecutive games at the two tackle spots to close out his time in Nashville.

The transition from a defensive end to an offensive tackle is a major undertaking, but it was one that Tyler faced head-on as the Commodores' coaching staff raved about how coachable he was.

While he worked throughout his sophomore season to learn the technique while also preparing to face some of the top pass rushers in the SEC week-to-week, he’d also reach out to NFL offensive lineman John St. Clair. During those phone conversations, Tyler would ask the 10-year NFL veteran what he would do in each situation and try to add it to his game.

As the phone calls and training sessions continued, Tyler began mastering his craft which translated over to gameday when he took over the left tackle spot in his junior season.

“I remember getting a call from one of his coaches at Vanderbilt who said, ‘Man Tyler’s always walking around with that poker face,’” Daris said. “‘I tell him to do something, he shakes his head and says ‘Yes, Coach,’ and I’m like this kid’s not even listening to me, but he’ll go out and do exactly what I told him to do.’”

Tyler’s reputation preceded him, and when it came time for him to transfer after graduating from Vanderbilt with his degree, he garnered a bevy of Power 5 offers before choosing Alabama.

"Well Tyler is a bright guy, he's a hard worker, he's very steady in the way he goes about what he does, he's a good person — never had any issues or problems,” Saban said. “I think he's really focused on trying to be a good player and I think the players here kind of embrace new guys and he's certainly the kind of guy that's easy to embrace because he's really got a positive personality and a fun guy to be around."

When the Commodores come to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, it will be a completion of where Tyler has come from and where he is today. But no matter how much better his technique gets or adept he is at pass blocking, he represents more than just being a football player.

He’ll also be representing his family and will keep them close to him on Saturday as he’ll wear the dog tags of his grandfather and father. It’s a constant reminder not only of the service his family gave to this country but of the two things he understands better than anyone — discipline and sacrifice.