Alabama standout LB Deontae Lawson ‘has one shot at this’ and wants to make it count

By Canadian Press on August 22, 2025.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Deontae Lawson knows he only has one chance remaining.

The linebacker is entering his fifth and final college season, a last ride with the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide that means even more after what he endured last November. Lawson tore a ligament in his knee in a loss to Oklahoma and has spent every waking moment since working his way back.

Now, nine months later, Alabama’s team captain is on track to return for the team’s season opener at Florida State next Saturday.

“He’s kind of stayed ahead of every marker that we’ve had for him,” defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. “To be able to come out in fall camp, and we thought maybe we would limit some of his loads and all that. We’ve really pushed him, and he’s handled it really well.”

Lawson’s body has changed during recovery as well. He’s down 11 pounds from last season, now listed at 228, and is playing at an impressive speed, Wommack said. For Lawson, the recovery process has put the 2025 season into a new perspective.

“It just made me think about a lot of things,” Lawson said. “Just how blessed I am just to wake up and be able to do this. It just made me realize that you really got one shot at this, to be honest.”

A healthy Lawson, particularly early in the season, is a shot in the arm to an Alabama defense that finished last season allowing 17.4 points a game — its fewest since 2017.

Alongside Lawson at inside linebacker, Alabama features fellow seniors Justin Jefferson and Colorado transfer Nikhai Hill-Green, an All-Big 12 selection last season. Amid an experienced group of defenders, Lawson’s leadership has stood out.

“His leadership is the thing that I think has really come out. That’s exciting,” coach Kalen DeBoer said. “I think he feels really good about being out there. Mentally and physically, I think he’s in a really good spot. But there’s still progress to be made as we build toward the first game.”

That progress can’t be replaced with anything but time.

Lawson’s still working through trusting his body and playing without second thought. He carries arguably the most responsibility on defense as the on-field play-caller and will be an integral part of Alabama’s pass rush as well.

The Tide defense recorded 25 sacks last season, ranking 69th nationally, and have placed an emphasis on it during camp. Lawson is Alabama’s returning sack leader (with two) and has spent some of camp working with the outside linebackers in pass-rush drills.

“It’s a mental thing,” Lawson said. “I just got to trust myself. That just takes time. It’s definitely getting better. It’s something that I’ve kind of pushed to the side a little bit and just focus on what I can do.”

Lawson at full throttle is one of the premier defenders in the Southeastern Conference. Despite the injury, he’s been named to the Butkus Award watch list. The award is given annually to the best linebacker in college football. The goal for Lawson is to play at that level and lead Alabama back to the College Football Playoff after a disappointing finish in 2024.

As Lawson continues progressing, he’s drawing closer parallels to the 2023 version of himself, when he weighed 230 pounds and finished second on the team in tackles. The expectation within the program is that his lighter frame paired with his maturity produce the best of Lawson this fall.

“Obviously from an injury standpoint, he had to come back from that, and his body is just in a position to where he’s moving really fast,” Wommack said. “He looks good. He’s playing with great anticipation. His level of leadership is taken to another level. He’s playing his best football right now, which is pretty impressive to say, eight, nine months, coming off of a leg injury.”

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Kennington Smith, The Associated Press