Alabama Crimson Tide College Football Pregame Quote, 12/28/2022

On the state of Alabama’s offensive line group coming into the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the impact of freshman OL Tyler Booker: Having five transfers has definitely impacted our depth in a big way. I think the biggest thing is that we got into a lot of shape. We take double reps just from missing guys and things of that nature, but [OL] Tyler Bookers really stepped in and did a great job all year. He came in with a great mindset and really matured for his age and took care of business from day one. So, just him transitioning to the role of a starter was no real problem because he was already working his tail off all year and he’s been ready for the moment. So, I’m excited to see what he does for the game [Sugar Bowl] because I know he’s prepared well. He’s a really good young player.

On which New Orleans dish he would choose if he could only have one: That’s a tough one. There’s so much good food down here [New Orleans] and it’s kind of hard to choose. But, I’m going to go with the really good desserts. I had some really good beignets when we first got here so I’m going to roll with that one. I’ve had beignets before but they’re different down here.

On the five players who transferred from Alabama: I don’t think it’s necessarily something you can sense throughout the year. I think it’s kind of towards the end, maybe, that guys got a little checked out at the end of the season and we just knew that ‚ÄúOh he might be leaving.‚Äù It wasn’t really expressed amongst the team and there wasn’t really anything said in the locker room. Guys still showed up to practice and everything and didn’t really complain much, but towards the end of the season we all understood that they made a decision that was best for themselves and we wish them the best wherever they go.

On what the benefit is of players transferring out of the program: I think it’s good. You kind of just eliminate the guys that are not necessarily bringing the culture down but the guys who were here this year really didn’t complain and be negative, but I think it’s good to have everybody here that wants to be here and I think it’s helped the preparation. This week we’ve done a really good job of preparing and the intensity and focus has been good. I think it’s probably just because everyone’s here that wants to be here.