Kane Wommack gives encouraging update about a star defensive player who’s critical to Alabama’s playoff chances
Alabama is hoping to have Deontae Lawson back to 100% by the time the season opener against Florida State rolls around.
Less than nine months ago, Alabama lost staring linebacker Deontae Lawson to a season-ending knee injury against Oklahoma. The instate product had been roaming sideline to sideline as the field general for the Crimson Tide’s defense, and the expectation was for him to move to on the NFL after finishing a successful career in Tuscaloosa.
Life had other plans though, as the knee injury delayed that decision for a year. Of course, you never want to see one of your star players have to go through something like that, but Lawson is proud to be back on the field with his Alabama teammates as the Tide prepare for the season opener against Florida State.
“Man, I’m just happy to be running around with the guys again,” Lawson told reporters following Wednesday’s practice. “Really not thinking too much about how I feel, just to be able to do it makes me feel good.”
Prior to Lawson’s injury, Alabama was trending towards losing its top three off-ball linebackers following last season. Jihaad Campbell was an underclassman, but it was evident based on his play that he’d be taking his talents to the NFL. Add in Lawson and Justin Jefferson both being seniors, and the defense was preparing for an overhaul at the position following 2025.
Then Lawson went down, and Jefferson was given an extra season of eligibility to the Diego Pavia ruling, which is how both of them ended up back in Tuscaloosa. That didn’t stop Kane Wommack and company from pursuing a top linebacker in the transfer portal though, as Colorado transfer Nikhai Hill-Green was also brought in to bolster the room.
The On3 Industry Rankings had Hill-Green rated as the No. 77 overall player in the transfer portal and the No. 3 linebacker (the No. 2 off-ball linebacker). He’s come in and provided a steady veteran presence with top-notch physicality. His presence, along with Lawson and Jefferson being back, has created another situation where we’re not sure what the snaps will look like this fall.
We’re expecting all three to play, but what exactly will it look like? Is Hill-Green ready to assume a significant role after having to learn a fourth defense in five years? How far along is Lawson is his recovery? We can’t answer that first question yet, but Wommack did at least provide some clarity on where Lawson stands.
“He’s actually doing a great job,” Wommack said. “Deontae, it’s amazing. I thought he carried himself at such a professional level a year ago, his leadership was so impressive. Somehow he’s taken his game and leadership to another level. It’s really impressive, coming off of not only battling the recovery process – and he’s kind of stayed ahead of every marker we’ve had for him – but to be able to come out in fall camp, we thought we’d maybe have to limit his load and all that, but we’ve really pushed him. He’s handled it really well.”
That’s an encouraging update. We love what Hill-Green and Jefferson bring to the table, but Lawson is the heart and soul of Alabama’s defense. As we said before, he’s the field general, and his experience should only help the communication aspect of a defense that’s going into Year 2 under Wommack. It’s not just what he provides physically; it’s what he provides mentally too.
Alabama should field one of the best linebacker rooms in the country with this trio back.
