Back in 2019, the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts popularized a baseball cap with a simple message in capital letters: “RUN THE DAMN BALL.”

Former Notre Dame and current Colts offensive lineman Quenton Nelson saw the hat at a country music concert, then found it online from clothing store Onward Reserve. For Nelson, the five-time Pro Bowl road grader, it was a perfect match. The company sent him enough for the entire Colts’ offensive line to wear, and it became a symbol of that line’s mentality.

Up the road in Indiana, a version of the hat in Notre Dame’s blue and gold made the rounds in South Bend. Last November, then-Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees pinned a photo of a woman wearing the hat to the top of his Twitter timeline. It was still there, prominently displayed, when Alabama hired the former Irish quarterback as its offensive play caller in February.

Rees might have brought his hat to Alabama, but it was already found in the Tide’s locker room — in crimson and white, of course. Fourth-year center Seth McLaughlin has worn it frequently the past two seasons.

“Since I’ve met Seth, he was wearing it,” sophomore offensive lineman Tyler Booker said Tuesday. “Even when I came on my visit, he was wearing that hat.”

When McLaughlin appeared Monday evening on the “Hey Coach” radio show, he wore the hat.

“It’s kind of been a joke now, that it’s my thing,” he said.

And that begged the question: with Rees having replaced Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator, will Alabama be running the damn ball this season?

“Hopefully,” McLaughlin responded on the show. “Whatever wins us ballgames.”

Other Alabama linemen have used words such as “ruthless” and “nastiness” to describe what second-year line coach Eric Wolford wants from his players this spring, and McLaughlin pointed to the past in speaking about what Alabama’s line is looking to do this season.

“We’re just trying to bring it back,” McLaughlin said on the radio show. “I think we’ve had some times where we could see elements of that in the past, but I think that’s just really trying to be our identity is just — we’re gonna push you off the ball. We’re gonna play through the whistle. We’re gonna push the pile. I think that’s what Coach Wolford is really just trying to instill in us, and we’re making progress toward that.”

Booker, who is expected to start at right guard alongside McLaughlin at center, joked Tuesday his hair prevents him from wearing McLaughlin’s hat. But he shares the same goal.

“I love the hat because I have that same kind of mindset, same type of mentality,” he said.

Alabama took advantage of quarterback Bryce Young’s abilities as a passer last season, coach Nick Saban explained earlier this spring. But with Young gone to the NFL and the Tide shifting to a new starting quarterback, Saban seeks more balance in his offense with a greater capability to run when needed.

“We want to be dominant,” elaborated Booker. “We want to be the ones on third-and-3, we’re like, ‘Oh, that’s easy. We’re just gonna run the behind the right side, behind the left side. We’re just going to run the ball.’ We want that mentality of, ‘Man, we got to play Alabama this week. How are we going to stop that run?’ That’s the mentality we want to have.

“Honestly, through this spring, the way that we’re playing, that’s the way Alabama played when I was growing up. Like, this is what I see Alabama football as. To be able to bring that back to what it was, it means the most to me. The mentality is throughout the room — everybody is trying to finish blocks, push the pile, things of that nature. That’s just our mindset. That’s the mindset of the room.”

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.