Each piece of new information on Alabama’s defense has fans more excited about this season.
Kane Wommack, the Crimson Tide’s defensive play-caller, had Tide fans intrigued when he mentioned linebacker Jihaad Campbell can communicate calls like Deontae Lawson. It is great to have two inside linebackers to get the message across to everyone, yet Alabama has two players it identifies as the quarterback of the defense.
RELATED: Kalen DeBoer recalls kids telling him which games Alabama better not lose
Lawson and Malachi Moore are in-state products that understand the standard of Tide football.
Moore, a fifth-year senior, has a College Football Playoff National Championship ring from his freshman campaign in 2020 as a defensive back.
Lawson, a redshirt junior, has two Southeastern Conference Championships rings (2021, 2023), but he is hungry for a national title.
Wommack sees Lawson as an extension of him on defense.
“He is my voice on the field,” Wommack said about Lawson. “So it is not just getting the call in, but I may want to communicate with him the situation, the understanding of the offense, and what they are getting ready to do.”
College football has a new rule where headset communication will be used.
Coaches and players on offense and defense will communicate through a headset to get plays across. Some teams will use signals, but Wommack is excited to see the “cat and mouse game” with headset communication and signaling. He wants to be ahead of the curve and have guys, like Lawson, ahead of the curve. Lawson wants to make sure everyone defensively is on the same page.
RELATED: Jeheim Oatis says “no one will be able to block” him and this veteran Alabama DL this season
He knows he’s good, but Lawson feels that having Moore makes him better.
8/10/24 MFB Fall Camp Scrimmage 1
Alabama Defensive Back Malachi Moore (13)
Photo by Kent Gidley
“He is the quarterback of the defense as well,” Lawson said about Moore.
“We communicate together. When you have a guy on the back end that can make all the calls as well, it is helpful for you.”
Wommack has a few guys on defense with the communication piece in tact, but Lawson and Moore will handle it.
This defense should be nothing short of exciting.
*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.
