Kalen DeBoer addresses whether Alabama has what it takes to overcome Tyler Booker's absence

Coach Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide will be looking to get back to the College Football Playoff next season after a disappointing 2024 season. The team did not qualify for the playoffs despite the introduction of the expanded 12-team playoff format.

One of the things the team will need to overcome is the loss of offensive guard Tyler Booker, who was selected with the 12th pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

On Thursday, analyst Josh Pate interviewed DeBoer and asked him if he thinks his team has the personnel to replace Booker.

"Yeah you don't just replace Tyler Booker with someone else for all the reasons you just mentioned," DeBoer said (starts at 26:30). "Production on the field, personality, leadership, but what I really think is happening is we had some guys that had that capability of raising their game as leaders, now are getting more comfortable. A Parker Brailsford, Kaydn Proctor, Jaeden Roberts.

"They saw Book, and they aren't gonna be Book because no one can do that the way he is, the way he did it, but they can do it in their own way. More than anything, bring this expectation of high level, taking care of your business of high-level offensive line play."

Kalen DeBoer then got into the specifics of what Booker brought to the team.

"The thing about Book is he did it across the board, not just the offense, the defense," the coach added. "Everyone really respected him that way. It started with the work.

"It's always about the work. Then I think just really the respect they had about the work for him allowed him to go off and lead the way he did. Our offensive line, I'm excited about some of those guys in those roles to raise their game."

Kalen DeBoer's offensive line has plenty of continuity heading into next season

One of the things that will help Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide overcome the loss of Tyler Booker is continuity. Four of the projected five starters on the offensive line were on the team last year and appeared in nine or more games: Parker Brailsford, Kadyn Proctor, Jaeden Roberts and Wilkin Formby.

Formby is the least experienced of that group, but all four played significant minutes last year. The only projected starter who was not part of the team last year is transfer Kam Dewberry.