Deontae Lawson injury update: Major details emerge on timeline of Alabama LB's return

Alabama graduate senior linebacker Deontae Lawson revealed he will miss all of Spring ball and won’t be available to practice until Fall camp while recovering from season-ending leg surgery.

The Crimson Tide’s rising fifth-year middle linebacker addressed his status on Thursday’s Crimson Drive podcast on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

“It will be until Fall camp, definitely,” Lawson said on Thursday’s show. “Yeah, it’ll be until Fall camp. I’ll definitely try to stay around as much as I can, but yeah, before I’m active — probably Fall camp.”

Lawson originally suffered the season-ending leg injury during Alabama’s (9-4) late-season 24-3 loss at Oklahoma, missing the team’s final two games against Auburn and the ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Michigan.

Lawson, who has started 26 of 37 career games at Alabama, including 11 games each of the past two seasons at middle linebacker, cited the last-season injury and lengthy recovery process with his decision to return for a fifth season in Tuscaloosa.

“It was a long process,” Lawson told the Crimson Tide Sports Network. “Before the season I was planning on declaring, but stuff happens, and you never really know why, but I put my faith in the good Lord above and it was best to take a step back and not go based on how you feel but what your intuition is telling you. … Overall, I don’t feel accomplished here yet. I don’t really feel like I have things to prove, but I don’t really feel like my story is complete here.”

Alabama LB Deontae Lawson announces return for 2025 season

Lawson previously announced his intention to return to Alabama in an Instagram post Jan. 4.

“I want to thank God for putting me in the position I am today,” Lawson said in a statement. “Without Him, none of my successes would be possible. His timing is perfect and I trust that He knows what is best for me.

“I have not had the easiest road to get where I am but I would have not been able to make it this far without my family. They have been my #1 support system each and every day, and I am truly blessed to have them to keep me pushing forward through all the ups and down along this journey. The have consistently told me they love me and believe in me, no matter what decision I make.

“And it is at this point that I have to make a decision my future. The University of Alabama has been home for the last four years, and I cannot imagine a better place to learn and grow on the way to graduating while working toward a master’s degree.

“This program and the staff have been like a second family to me. The opportunity I have been given to play for Coach Saban and Coach DeBoer is a blessing. I want to finish what I started from the day I stepped foot on campus, and that includes winning a national championship.

“While I will always have love for Mobile, Tuscaloosa has become a second home and I’m not ready to leave. I will do everything in my power to help the 2025 group live up to the Bama Standard, and I look forward to leading this team next season.”

Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.