Alabama's young linebackers stepping up with veterans sidelined this spring
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama received welcome news when veteran linebackers Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson announced they would return for their fifth years in 2025.
The Crimson Tide also added Colorado linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green to its roster, giving the defense three experienced off-ball linebackers. However, Lawson is still recovering from his season-ending knee injury, while Jefferson has been limited during spring camp.
Alabama’s linebacker corps has solely featured first- and second-year players this spring, with only Cayden Jones and QB Reese having spent more than this semester on campus.
That means the Tide has relied on some young players, like freshmen Duke Johnson, Luke Metz and Abduall Sanders, in the middle of its defense. All three gained valuable experience during Alabama’s bowl prep in December, and that carried over to the spring. But now, they are tasked with running Kane Wommack’s defense in practices and scrimmages.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer spoke highly of the Tide’s young linebackers’ progress.
“The three freshmen, they’re going to be really good players,” DeBoer said. “We ask a lot out of that position. They’re the ones that wear the earpieces, make the calls. Now going into Year 2, we’re even more diverse than what we were and putting a little bit more on their shoulders.
“Kind of taking those next steps as a defense with the concepts we’re putting in, refining some of the things we did last year, adding to some of those things as well.
“Abduall, Luke, Duke, all three of them have been making plays out there, running sideline-to-sideline. That’s one thing they do best. And then QB is a guy that’s out there directing traffic. He had a really good spring, as well. I’m proud of the way those guys have just taken the bull by the horns and rolled with it.”
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Alabama’s young linebackers are gaining invaluable reps this spring, which is important for the future with Lawson, Jefferson and Hill-Green getting ready for their final college seasons.
Although Lawson and Jefferson haven’t been leading the line in individual drills, they have been providing advice and encouragement as their younger teammates navigate spring ball. Lawson is a returning team captain, while Jefferson, DeBoer said, is the ultimate hype man.
“Their leadership and their engagement with these guys has been something I just got to make a note of,” DeBoer said. “Because they remember being that age, the ups and downs that you can go through, and they are right in there every single play.
“If a big play happens, Justin in particular – because he can go run out there – he’s got as much excitement as anyone when those linebackers, in particular, make a big play.”
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