Kalen DeBoer shares how Cowboys’ Tyler Booker helped him during his Alabama transition phase

Nick Saban announced his decision to retire on Jan. 10, 2024, just a few days after Alabama lost to Michigan 27-20 in the national championship game.

When Saban left the program, many candidates, including Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, among others, made the list of his potential replacements.

Former Washington Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer was the final choice of the Crimson Tide, which many thought was a homerun for the program.

Even though stepping into Saban's shoes was not an easy task, DeBoer had support from the Alabama locker room, including Tyler Booker.

"It was a whirlwind, but it quickly became obvious that everything everyone had said when people were referring to the leaders on the team, that (Booker) was going to be that guy that you really had to go to and count on," DeBoer said on Monday, via Cowboys.com.

"He established his commitment to being here very quickly, and that was super helpful for me to continue to keep the ball rolling and know that he was someone that I could count on."

While players like Isaiah Bond jumped ship and decided to transfer from the Tide when Saban left, Booker stuck to the process.

"He bet on himself, he bet on Alabama and just wanted to do everything he could to help us make that transition as smooth as possible," DeBoer said.

Nick Saban heaps praise on Tyler Booker during the 2025 NFL draft

Tyler Booker was selected at No. 12 by the Dallas Cowboys on April 24.

During the draft, Nick Saban had a trip down memory lane as he was presented with a slideshow of his pictures with Booker over the years.

“It feels good to be bigger than him,” Saban said. “This guy is a fantastic young man. I mean, smart, and you talk about a good leader. Very physical, very tough. Gets movement in the run, that’s why people like him so much. This guy’s got tremendous muscle mass, which I think is very important to be a power player in the NFL. This guy’s got it all.”

During his final season with Alabama, Booker started all 13 games and was an essential part of the Crimson Tide's offensive line.