Deontae Lawson

Even though Deontae Lawson started in 11 games and was the anchor of the Crimson Tide defense in 2023, he entered the 2024 season as a changed man. Lawson switched to the No. 0, and according to the Alabama coaching staff he's even better than he was before. “Deontae is a great young man,” Bama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said about Lawson who recorded 67 tackles in 2023. “He carries himself with a great presence. He handles things from a professional level. You can tell he’s operating with another level in his mind but I thought when he got on the field I saw a different version of Deontae Lawson — one that I’m excited to go on the field with.” He's also developed into more of a vocal leader, per teammate Malachi Moore. "He was always a leader last year, but I was telling him, you just need to voice your opinion a little bit more and let people know how you feel about certain things," Moore said. "He’s taking it in stride and taking on the responsibility of being that leader and that linebacker for our defense.”