Coach Speak: Andre Parker on Bam Booker
Maryland added a second outside linebacker in their 2021 class when Winston Woods (OH) Bam Booker announced his verbal. The soft-spoken linebacker was more than familiar with the program as he enjoyed the visibility that came during his older brother’s recruitment. Freshman defensive lineman Anthony Booker signed apart of head coach Mike Locksley’s first class as he and the new staff were thrusted into the tail-end of the recruiting cycle. But the relationship between the staff and the family paved the way for Bam’s decision.
He becomes the second JACK linebacker in the class, joining St. Frances (MD) Terrance Butler, as the 6-foot-3, 230-pound prospect transitions into Big Ten style of play. It helps to have his older brother serve as guidance before he steps foot in College Park, but Winston Woods head coach Andre Parker is confident that Bam has the mindset to succeed. “I’ve been able to watch Bam for a long time from his brother and his family has been a part of the program. He’s a really great young man who has himself together,” coach Parker told All Terrapins. “Before we talk about attributes, he’s a very good student and carries himself as a class act so his character really sets him apart and will really transfer at the college level.”
“I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years and in his recruitment, he had asked me questions that I had never had to answer before. The way he views the world, society is truly special; not worried about uniforms or number, just really focused on the future and the things it can hold for him. How he can affect people, help people.” Booker and his father traveled to Haiti with the Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church on a mission trip last July, a driving force in the compassion he holds off the field. While he’s conscious about giving back, it was clear family was important to him.
“His family is very close and he wants to be close with his brother. I thought it was always a foregone conclusion for Bam. When Tank announced for Maryland I kind of new in my heart that’s where he wanted to go.”
On the field, Booker will enter the front seven as a physical presence off the edge. According to coach Parker, the JACK fits the younger Booker’s skillset.
“I know from talking to mom and dad and Bam, they said they run the defense a lot like ours. So, he will drop some but predominately getting after the quarterback at the line of scrimmage, and that’s what he does best.”
“He can contour and move his body like very few can. He can bend at the angles, bend at the hips, powerful, very twitchy and his change of direction is very good and he’s just starting to put on weight. Right now, I think he’s at 230 and he doesn’t look like it so he can easily play at 255 at the college level.” With another year ahead of Booker before he enrolls, he’ll look to continue to refine his hand placement and technique.
“Just like any other player, he has to get better with his hands and not just his hand placement, being more violent with his hands at that level because linemen will be bigger and longer so they’ll be able to make a mistake and get their hands on you. So, the one thing I’d say he’d have to get better with is his striking ability and his placement of his hands.”
While the latest commitment gives Maryland 18 commitments, the reasoning for Booker’s commitment stems back to the inclusive, family-styled culture that Locksley and the staff are building in College Park.
“From talking to his brother and some of the other players, I think the biggest thing that the kids like and attracted them to it was the family atmosphere that they’re building. At some programs, it’s built like a business and they were adamant that the coaches care about them and their well-being and their success in college. Those were the things I think really sold Bam on the family feeling comfortable, just about how they treat the young men and getting their degrees.”
