Deontae Lawson knows the success of Alabama’s defense flows through him, but is he ready to be elite?
A native of Mobile, Ala., he has seen so many dominant inside linebackers stamp their name for the University of Alabama — anchoring some of the best defenses in the Nick Saban era. Lawson can start the Kalen DeBoer era for the Crimson Tide as a middle “Mike” linebacker to achieve excellence on defense. Alabama has several offensive leaders, including Jalen Milroe and Tyler Booker, but Booker is excited to see what Lawson does on the other side of the ball to captain the Tide to greatness.
RELATED: Alabama OL ‘fully bought in’ to the Crimson Tide’s culture since his return
The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder totaled 67 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, four quarterback hurries, and four pass breakups last season for Alabama. He becomes the first player in school history to wear No. 0, but now he has to make opponents respect that number for the Tide.
“He is not willing to lose,” Booker said Wednesday at SEC Media Days about Lawson. “It does not matter what it is he does not want to lose. He is very competitive and that is going to transfer to game days. I am very excited to see him perform this year.”
He and Jihaad Campbell will be a working tandem, but it will be interesting to see how Lawson takes ownership of the group.
It is time for him to lead a national championship defense under Kane Wommack as the coordinator.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber-only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
