Born and raised in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana,[1] Fluker and his family left the city in the final hours before Hurricane Katrina roared ashore.

[2] They moved to Biloxi, Mississippi, and later Mobile, Alabama, where Fluker attended McGill-Toolen Catholic High School.

[4] Family issues took Fluker back to Biloxi, for his junior year, where he remained at defensive tackle, after almost giving up on his football career.

At Foley High School, head coach Todd Watson convinced Fluker to play on the offensive line to exploit his full potential.

Fluker earned high school All-American honors from USA Today, Parade, EA Sports, and SuperPrep.

[6][7] In addition to football, Fluker was also a member of the Foley track & field team, where he threw the shot put, recording a top-throw of 16.27 meters (53 ft 1 in) at the 2009 Mobile Challenge, where he took 4th.

Projected to play as true freshman at Alabama, he was a candidate to replace All-American Andre Smith at left tackle, although junior college transfer James Carpenter was considered to have better chances,[11] and eventually got the starting nod.

[14] As a sophomore, Fluker started all 13 games for the Crimson Tide at right tackle on their way to the BCS National Championship victory over the LSU Tigers.

[15] As a junior, he started all 14 games at right tackle as Alabama repeated as BCS National Champions, this time against Notre Dame.

[17] Since he had graduated and was in his fourth year, Fluker was granted eligibity by the National Football League to participate in the 2013 Senior Bowl.

[22][23][24] He was the fourth Alabama offensive lineman selected in the first round within five years, after Andre Smith (2009), James Carpenter (2011), and Chance Warmack (2013).

[33][34] He played in nine games, starting six at right guard before hurting his toe in Week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs.