Nick Saban on inside linebacker group: 'It's a work in progress for some guys'
The Alabama inside linebacker group remains in flux after losing veterans Henry To’o To’o and Jaylen Moody following the 2022 season, and coach Nick Saban provided an update after practice on Tuesday evening.
He wasn’t overly specific, noting only that things are coming along for the unit in fall camp.
“It’s a work in progress for some of the guys, but I’m also pleased at the way some guys are progressing and we just have to continue to work on that group as a whole to get more and more guys who can contribute in a positive way,” Saban said.
One of the players who seems likely to start on the inside is Deontae Lawson, who defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has raved about in fall camp.
Lawson is a third-year player who appeared in 11 games last fall and totaled 51 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and four passes defended, so he’s got some legitimate experience already.
Others vying for starting jobs in the inside linebacker group are sophomore Jihaad Campbell, redshirt junior Trezmen Marshall, junior Kendrick Blackshire, redshirt freshman Shawn Murphy and junior Justin Jefferson.
Campbell and Marshall appear to be a little ahead of the others in that group, though nothing is certain just yet in fall camp.
“I think that we need to continue to improve,” Saban said. “I think we’ve got a couple guys that are playing really well. I think we need to get more guys to play well at that position.”
Saban issues self-assessment challenge to team
Coming out of the team’s first scrimmage, Saban encouraged the inside linebacker group and the rest of the team to really step up and assess their own play.
It wasn’t an outright challenge, but it was clear Saban wasn’t entirely thrilled with the mindset his team has shown at times in fall camp.
“I think the question you ask is: What percentage of the guys are playing winning football and are you willing to do the things you need to invest in yourself so that you are doing the things you need to so you can improve?” Saban said. “Because the tendency, especially in the conditions that we’re in, is it’s very easy to endure practice. Do what you have to do to get by. Don’t really focus. Don’t really play fast. If you ask everybody in the room, ‘do you want to win?’ They’d all say, ‘yeah, we want to win.’ But are you willing to do the things you need to do to win?
“You’ve gotta get out of your comfort zone. Some people would say you’ve gotta make sacrifices and do things so that you can improve. The way I’d rather say it is you’ve gotta invest in yourself in terms of doing the things that are going to help you on and off the field to be the best player you can be. The bottom line is to ask yourself, ‘can your teammates trust you to do your job?’ That should be everybody’s goal in terms of what they strive to do and what they’re trying to do. That’s how you compete for playing time.”
Alabama still has a little bit of time to get right, but the season opener is fast approaching. The Crimson Tide begin the 2023 campaign on Sept. 2 against MTSU.