The most important alarm in Omar Fattah’s young life rang early Thursday morning, and he immediately sprang into action.

“I was excited,” he said. “It’s time to get to work. I’ve been training two, sometimes three times a day for this. I just keep telling myself, ‘Get through basic training so you can play football. Get through basic training so you can play football.’”

The first part began Thursday, as Fattah and more than 1,000 others from the Class of 2022 — many born this century — reported for in-processing at the Air Force Academy.

While many were clearly apprehensive, Fattah was bounding with energy. Part of this is because this youngest of four said his goodbyes in Ohio before boarding a plane earlier this week, whereas most of his classmates saved their final hugs for mom until they boarded the bus for basic.

Fattah is excited to be in Colorado Springs, which he found to be a “lot cleaner” than his native Cleveland. He’s excited for football, where the Falcons intend to move him from linebacker to fullback. “I grew up playing running back, so I’m excited to go back to my old roots.” He was even excited to enter into the unknown of military life. “I know it’s going to make me a better man.”

This scene takes place each June about this time, but this year seemed anything but routine.

For one, the location shifted from the longtime in-processing home at Doolittle Hall to the Cadet Field House. Also, the athletes continue to evolve physically. It used to be rare to see a football player larger than 250 pounds reporting, now there are 280-pound specimens found throughout the long line.

“I went to a nice Italian place and loaded up, got some appetizers and the whole nine yards,” said one such basic-cadet, Ryan Booth, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound lineman and aspiring pilot from San Antonio who chose Air Force over Rice, other service academies and Ivy League programs.

Also, there seems to be a universal belief that the caliber of athletes has increased. One coach noted the recruiting resources provided under former athletic director Jim Knowlton helped him nab his best-ever recruiting class a year ago — topped only by this one.

Also, with the football stadium ready to reveal new renovations, women’s basketball coming off a breakthrough season and men’s basketball returning a skilled lineup that includes some inside talent there is legitimate optimism coming from many directions.

“We have a lot of talent,” said direct-enter basketball player Nick Rene, who came from the Dallas area. “Everybody’s willing to work. ”

Fattah, in his way, also represents a departure from the norm. To be sure, Air Force has graduated many Muslims in its history, including at least one football starter in the past six years. But Fattah is certainly in the minority.

“The academy is more than welcoming of all faiths and ethnicities,” Fattah said. “I’ve gotten nothing but support here from my coaches and from everyone I’ve met here about my faith. I’m very open about it. I’m very proud about it. I’m not going to stop being proud about it.”

Fattah visited a local mosque Wednesday and has told some new friends there that he’d try to get them Air Force tickets.

But, he said, that will have to wait. For now, he checked in his phone for the next six weeks and took his 5-foot-11, 225-pound frame onto the bus. Because, excited as he and many of his classmates may be about what lies ahead, basic training comes first.