One of the more interesting position battles that are taking place this fall in Tuscaloosa is at inside linebacker. Both Henry To’oTo’o and Jaylen Moody are gone from last season, leaving defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and linebackers coach Robert Bala searching for the next great pair to lead the middle of the Alabama defense.
Following the Crimson Tide’s first practice of the fall, head coach Nick Saban took time to field some questions from the media. For obvious reasons, Saban was asked about the inside linebackers and Saban was quick to voice that he feels good about the group.
“I’m happy with the group. Deontae Lawson played really good football when he played last year. He was injured a lot of the time. He sat out the spring, got his knee worked on a little bit. He’s had a good summer. He’s got leadership. He’s got a good understanding of the defense.
“Jihaad Campbell has made really good progress. We’ve got lots of competition at the position. I’m pleased with the way these guys are progressing. They’ve made a tremendous amount of progress. We’ve had a lot of guys out in the spring that – both outside ‘backers, one inside ‘backer – so it gave guys a lot of opportunity to get a lot of reps there. So we’ve got those guys back, we’ve got a little bit of leadership and I like the experience that we have in the group.”
Saban mentioned two names when asked about the group. Obviously, Lawson is likely to be one of the starters at inside linebacker. The redshirt sophomore played a lot of snaps in 2022 and like Saban mentioned, when healthy, Lawson is a very good player.
The second name mentioned by Saban was second-year player Jihaad Campbell. Campbell spent most of his freshman season in 2022 learning the position after mostly being an edge rusher in high school. Campbell has all-world athleticism and if he has finally figured out the position, Alabama could have a dynamic inside linebacker duo in 2023.
Outside of Lawson and Campbell, the Crimson Tide has plenty of options. Georgia transfer Trezmen Marshall is an experienced and athletic linebacker and Justin Jefferson makes his way to Tuscaloosa from junior college and has elite closing speed for an inside linebacker.
Saban’s comments on the position are very telling. He likes what he sees and is confident in the group to make plays this fall.
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