Tyler Booker, four-star offensive tackle from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, announced his commitment on Friday to the University of Alabama. Booker chose the Crimson Tide over Florida, Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon.
"What stands out to me about Alabama is just their commitment to greatness," Booker said after his official visit to Alabama three weeks ago."They are the pinnacle of college football. I really like the feeling of being the standard of greatness. Why go somewhere else to try and achieve greatness when it's already the standard?”
"I like everything they have to offer. I like where the program has been and where it's going. I like how I can see myself having success there. I like Coach Marrone a lot. We have a great relationship. We talk almost every day. We have a lot in common with him being from the Northeast."
He is the first offensive line commitment in the 2022 class for the Tide. The Alabama pipeline to IMG Academy continues with the addition of Booker. The New Haven, Connecticut native played alongside Alabama freshman tackle JC Latham during his junior season for the powerhouse program in Bradenton.
"He is like a brother to me; just being around him this weekend was great. He told me Alabama is a lot like IMG, but just a lot harder. He knows I can have success at Alabama because of my mind-set and work ethic.
"He says I can definitely go there and be great. That's what really stands out to me about Alabama. I know I can go there and they can develop me into a great player. I also think the growing legacy of IMG players at Alabama is also something that really sticks out to me."
Booker will major in Sports Psychology at Alabama. He is expected to enroll in January.
National take
"Booker is ranked as the ninth-best offensive tackle in the 2022 class and if it was solely on run blocking then he would be even higher. The IMG right tackle is a mauler, loves to play through the whistle, enjoys moving people against their will and dominating physically. There are no questions when it comes to that. As a pass blocker, Booker is definitely good but he's a little stiff and he lunges a little too often so those are some things that need to be cleaned up. But there was a reason why Alabama went so hard after Booker as did Florida and Georgia. It's because Booker is super talented and really athletic for his size and that's a nice combination to have at right tackle."- Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney
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