Tag: Deontae Lawson

Position Breakdown: Alabama’s ILB’s ahead of spring practice

A deep dive into the Alabama inside linebacker room ahead of spring practice.

We are now just a couple of weeks out from [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama football team taking the practice field to begin spring ball.

As is the case each offseason, there are many questions that need to be answered before the Tide hit the field to start the 2023 season.

As spring practice creeps closer, we are going to break down each position group on both sides of the ball. We have already looked at the quarterbacks, running backs, defensive line, tight ends, and outside linebackers.

Today we will direct our attention to the inside linebacker room which will be replacing a ton of experience here in 2023.

Let’s dive right in!

Alabama football names its Student-Athletes of the Week

Lawson, Booker, and Williams have earned the honor of Student-Athletes of the Week!

Although college football just entered the offseason, the student-athletes still have school to attend.

As they do throughout each semester, the Alabama football team released its respected Student-Athletes of the Week on Thursday.

This week’s recipients are Deontae Lawson, Tyler Booker, and Roydell Williams.

Lawson is entering his third season with the Crimson Tide and is expected to be one of the starting inside linebackers for the Alabama defense.

Booker is a sophomore offensive lineman who bullied his way into the starting five as a true freshman in 2022 and is expected to be one of the better offensive linemen in the SEC in 2023.

Williams is a senior running back who will likely be the Tide’s utility back during the 2023 season.

Congratulations to these young men for their outstanding work in the classroom and on the gridiron.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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10 way-too-early Alabama football predictions for 2023 season

Roll Tide Wire makes some way-too-early predictions for what we could see in Tuscaloosa for Alabama’s 2023 season.

After two seasons came to an unexpected end, the Tide will look to return to their old ways. Alabama head coach Nick Saban will have a strong group of players returning next season and is bringing in the nation’s top recruiting class from this cycle as well.

There is no shortage of talent in Tuscaloosa heading into next season. The Tide will look to put the best players on the field as well as assemble the best coaching staff to succeed.

There are still a few uncertainties, but answers may soon appear as the offseason gets underway.

Today, Roll Tide Wire makes some way-too-early predictions for the Alabama football program for the 2023 season.

CFB analyst explains in detail why Alabama has the best LB room in the nation

Alabama Football has the two best linebackers in the country

Alabama Football has produced a plethora of superstars under [autotag]Coach Saban[/autotag] in the past decade. From a receiver room that featured [autotag]Jerry Jeudy[/autotag] [autotag]Henry Ruggs[/autotag] [autotag]DeVonta Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaylen Waddle[/autotag] to a running back room that had [autotag]Derrick Henry[/autotag] [autotag]Alvin Kamara[/autotag] [autotag]T.J. Yeldon[/autotag] and [autotag]Kenyan Drake[/autotag], it is safe to say that Saban is used to working with loaded position groups.

However, the 2022 Tide linebackers may be the best unit that Tuscaloosa, and college football for that matter, has ever seen.

247 Sports’ CFB analyst, Josh Pate, discussed the position group today as he said, “I think Alabama has the two best linebacker’s in college football in [autotag]Will Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Dallas Turner[/autotag].” The duo amazingly accounted for 20 sacks in 2021 as both were true underclassmen.

Behind the two superstars, is former five-star [autotag]Chris Braswell[/autotag] who would be a premier pass rusher at any other school, says Pate. The Tide also return their leading tackler from the 2021 campaign in [autotag]Henry To’oTo’o[/autotag] and he is joined by veteran [autotag]Jaylen Moody[/autotag]. Having these four on the field at the same time will be a headache for every single opponent this year.

In the waiting, are highly rated recruits such as [autotag]Deontae Lawson[/autotag] [autotag]Kendrick Blackshire[/autotag] and others. However, the real prized possession is IMG Academy’s [autotag]Jihaad Campbell[/autotag] who will likely fill Anderson’s role in 2023.

From starters to what’s coming down the pipeline, we will look back in a few years and certainly discuss the surreal amount of talent in this position group.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

5 defensive players Alabama fans need to watch during A-Day

5 defensive players Alabama fans need to watch during A-Day

Alabama’s annual A-Day game is set to kick off on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. CT inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

There is plenty of talent both young and old to be excited about if you are a ‘Bama fan, and it will also be our first opportunity of the spring to see this year’s version of the Tide.

In his Thursday press conference leading up to A-Day, head coach Nick Saban said the format for the scrimmage would be the first-team offense against the first-team defense and the second-team offense against the second-team defense. With this format, fans will get to experience a more game-like scenario with good on good.

Leading up to the start of A-Day, I wanted to sit down and give fans a handful of players from each side of the ball that I believe could make an impact during the scrimmage. I want fans to keep in mind that these are players that fans have not seen make a tremendous impact yet for the Crimson Tide, but could on Saturday and during the 2022 season.

Yesterday we looked at the offensive players, today we will look at the defensive side of the ball.

5 second-year defenders to watch this spring

5 second-year defenders to watch this spring

Earlier this week Alabama announced that its annual “A-Day” game would take place on Saturday, April 16. So it shouldn’t be too many more weeks before Nick Saban and his players hit the practice field to prepare for the public scrimmage.

As we anticipate the return of Alabama football I thought we could take a look at a handful of second-year defenders that Tide fans should be keeping their eyes on this spring.

Let’s get rolling!

BREAKING: Alabama lands commitment from 2021 4-star ILB

Four-star linebacker Kendrick Blackshire out of Duncanville (Tex.) has chosen to commit to the University of Alabama.

Alabama continued to gain significant momentum on the recruiting trail on Tuesday night with the commitment of four-star inside linebacker Kendrick Blackshire.

Multiple outlets broke the news as the Duncanville High School standout broke the news on his Instagram account. Among those break that news was Sam Spiegelman with Rivals.com.

What made the commitment more fun is that it came on the same day as the birth of Blackshire’s grandmother, which the 6-foot-2, 245-pound linebacker pointed out on Twitter earlier in the day.

Blackshire is an interesting addition for the Crimson Tide, as he’s the third off-ball linebacker commitment for the 2021 recruiting cycle — joining Deontae Lawson and Prattville’s Ian Jackson.

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Blackshire is rated as the No. 152 overall prospect, the No. 7 inside linebacker and the No. 26 player from the state of Texas.

Gabe Brooks, a recruiting analyst for 247Sports, had this to say when evaluating Blackshire’s high school tape:

A bulked-up specimen with virtually college-ready size at linebacker as a high school sophomore. Powerful lower body with impressive upper-body build. Has made plays as traditional inside linebacker, off the edge, and playing with a hand on the ground. Could provide personnel flexibility in college. Diagnoses quickly and closes fast in pursuit, especially relative to size. Productive with 180 tackles in freshman-sophomore seasons in Texas’ largest classification. Owns size and strength to play off blocks in the run game. Not asked to drop and cover too much, but gets good depth when needed. Has missed significant playing time because of injury. Missed junior season with ACL. Reliable tackler, but can improve breakdown ability and arriving power. Fairly agile laterally relative to size, but lower-body mass can cause some stiffness. Physical ceiling could be limited because of such advanced bulking early in development. Long-term positional home not cut and dried, but could potentially fit almost any linebacker variation. Among the top defensive prospects in Texas for the 2021 class. Possesses long-term NFL Draft potential.

Stay tuned for more recruiting updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire sites!

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Breaking down Alabama’s 2021 commitments: ILB Deontae Lawson

Linebacker Deonte Lawson out of Mobile is the next man up on Roll Tide Wire’s list of breaking down Alabama’s 2021 recruiting class.

After a rocking start, the Alabama Crimson Tide is steadily climbing up the recruiting rankings for the 2021 class. As things stand, that class is 25th (No. 7 in the SEC) according to 247Sports and 28th (No. 8) according to Rivals.com.

With eight commitments, Roll Tide Wire decided to break those pledges down player-by-player for you. Next up on the list is inside linebacker Deontae Lawson out of Mobile, Alabama.

Deontae Lawson, Inside Linebacker

Height: 6-3 / Weight: 217

High School: Mobile Christian School, Mobile, Alabama

Ranking (247Sports comp): 4-star / No. 111 overall / No. 5 ILB / No. 6 AL

Ranking (247Sports): 4-star / No. 42 overall / No. 4 ILB / No. 2 AL

Ranking (Rivals): 4-star / No. 241 overall / No. 18 OLB / No. 7 AL

Ranking (ESPN): 4-star / No. 84 overall / No. 13 OLB / No. 6 AL

Analysis: During the Nick Saban era, Alabama has seen a lot of success developing off-ball linebackers in its 3-4 base defense. Whether it was Rolando McClain, Dont’a Hightower, C.J. Mosley, Reuben Foster, Rashaan Evans or, most recently, Dylan Moses, the NFL talent has continually been there at the position.

Christian Harris seems to be the next man up to emerge this season, while Demouy Kennedy could be a likely candidate later. Deontae Lawson, however, is going to be coming in with the 2021 recruiting class, and he could press to contribute early.

Continuing to add weight and strength will continue to be a priority, but the frame and overall talent is there to be a future All-SEC linebacker. At the very least, he should be a contributor early on special teams if the transition from a lower classification in high school proves to be difficult.

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BREAKING: Alabama picks up 2021 commitment from 4-star in-state edge rusher

Deontae Lawson, a four-star in-state edge rusher from Mobile Christian School verbally committed to the Crimson Tide

On Friday night, Alabama picked up a BIG commitment for the 2021 recruiting class. Deontae Lawson, a four-star in-state edge rusher from Mobile Christian School, verbally committed to the Crimson Tide.

According to 247 sports, Lawson is the No. 8 recruit in Alabama, No. 16 weak-side defensive end in the nation, and is the No. 248 prospect overall nationally.