FRISCO, Texas — As the first-ever player selected in the Brian Schottenheimer era as Dallas Cowboys' head coach, Tyler Booker is tasked with representing the balance struck between impact player and leader of men, and the former Alabama offensive lineman isn't naive to the expectations he'll face going forward.
And as rookie minicamp quickly came and went, with OTAs (organized team activities) now on the horizon, Booker spoke about the latter of those two attributes; and he's making it clear he plans on helping to mold the locker room culture going forward under Schottenheimer.
"To be the leader of this [rookie] group, I take a lot of pride in that," said Booker. "I'm just a natural born leader so, with my fellow rookies, I'm excited to continue to learn and grow with them."
Coincidentally, or rather fated, depending upon your belief system, Booker is joining a Cowboys' organization that is undergoing a sweeping change within the coaching ranks after recently coming face-to-face with a similar situation in Tuscaloosa.
Nick Saban announced his retirement in the days following the conclusion of the 2023 season, forcing Booker to reevaluate his future in the program. Would he follow some of his Roll Tide compatriots and enter the transfer portal for a program with a more proven and stable coaching situation in 2024, or would he stay put and weather the storm and, in the process, potentially help the incoming head coach, Kalen DeBoer, lead the team forward.
He'd ultimately choose to stick around, and his explanation as to why further solidifies his view on what it means to be a leader — now also able to take lessons learned from that transition to helping Schottenheimer in one of his own..
"This last year helped me a lot," Booker said. "Not just as a football player, but as a man. Going into [last] year with a lot of uncertainty and having to weather the storm, and then just not having the success that I wanted, that I was the same person every day. Even when we were losing the games that we shouldn't have lost, I was the same person. I was the same Tyler Booker, every day.
"That taught me how to be resilient even more than I already was. I feel like this last year, that last year at Alabama added more to who I am as a man."
Booker will look to draw on all of his lessons learned at Alabama to try and hit the ground running for the Cowboys, seeing well-founded similarities between that two, and his work ethic has even prevented him from getting moved in fully to Dallas.
His plan? Move later. Study now.
"I've really just been focused on getting into the playbook," he said. "I really haven't been able to focus on much else. I'm just so glad to be here. I'm glad to be a Cowboy, and I'm ready to contribute to the season."
