ATLANTA — Chris Booker was not like most Alabama football recruiting targets attending the program's Junior Day in February.
The 2026 Atlanta offensive lineman had already been to campus multiple times, watching Alabama's final two home wins of the 2024 regular season against Mercer and Auburn.
But Booker didn't have an offer from the Crimson Tide . He didn't have many offers to speak of when he made those visits, hoping that the relationship built between the two game-day visits would turn into something more.
So when Booker arrived in Tuscaloosa for the program's Junior Day, Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan caught his eye.
"'I know something you don't,'" Booker remembers Morgan telling him.
The Alabama football offer came soon after with Crimson Tide offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic pulling Booker aside before the Alabama men's basketball game against Georgia and sharing the news.
"He was like, 'I'm real proud of you,'" Booker said. "'You've been working hard. You have an offer here from Alabama.'"
Two weeks later, Booker may not be a ranked offensive lineman on 247Sports' composite rankings. He may not have the offer list that Crimson Tide targets usually have, considering South Florida , Kentucky and Florida as his major contenders.
But Booker knows what he can be. He knows what he expects out of himself.
"I want to be the best," Booker said. "If I'm not the best, I work to be the best. And I don't like when people think they're better than me."
Winston Gordon knows what Booker can become.
The Hapeville Charter Career Academy football coach saw Booker's dominance when the incoming freshman was behind the plate, playing catcher for his middle school baseball team.
While Gordon said Booker was "a little raw" at first, he saw the talent instantaneously in a prospect that would be a starting offensive lineman by his sophomore season and was a "Power 5 kid the whole time."
"He's a kid that can play all three positions," Gordon said of the 6-foot-4, 280 pound lineman who he says has "no fat." "So no matter where he goes or what school he chooses, he'll be an asset."
And Gordon is making sure Booker is ready for the next level.
During the offseason, Booker is working with former Hapeville and current Tennessee Titans pass rusher Arden Key , someone Gordon said, can "beat (Booker) up good," and make sure the 2026 offensive lineman is ready for the next level.
Booker describes those one-on-one sessions as "competitive," but also as lessons, opportunities to see how Key is teaching other defensive lineman, and what he can do to fix his game to combat their adjustments.
Booker just wants to be taught, wants to grow, something that is a major point in his recruitment.
"You can't just do it by yourself," Booker said. "You got to have a good coach with experience … just telling you how to do things because you can't get it by yourself. You can study other O-linemen. You can do that part, but, you know, there's always somebody that can help you."
Booker doesn't have a timeline for his recruitment. He has official visits scheduled at both Alabama and South Florida, but he is still trying to soak up as much information as he can.
As for the Crimson Tide, which he will visit again April 8, Booker said the next step is learning his place in the offense, already knowing the coaches are "good people" and teachers.
Overall, Booker wants to choose the school that will develop him the best, a process he called overwhelming at points.
"It's new, honestly. It's real new," Booker said of the recruiting process. "It's a lot at times because it's not what you expected it to be at first. But it's really, it's a thrill. I enjoy it. And, hopefully, I pick the right school for me."
Gordon knows the player Booker will become at the next level, whether it's Alabama or another program.
"He could be a day-one starter because you're talking about a kid that's physically ready," Gordon said. "He's ready to go."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why an underrated 2026 Atlanta OL has Alabama football's attention
