After spending his final high school season in 2020 as one of the state’s most coveted prospects, Deontae Lawson did not receive nearly as much attention in 2021.
The four-star linebacker from Mobile Christian started Alabama’s spring game last year because of COVID-19 issues at his position, but then spent the season mostly behind the scenes. He saw action in four games, three of which were non-conference blowouts over Mercer, Southern Miss and New Mexico State.
Now a redshirt freshman, Lawson’s opportunity for playing time with the Tide could be near.
Alabama has an opening at “Will” linebacker after three-year starter Christian Harris was drafted to the NFL this offseason. Fifth-year senior Jaylen Moody was the frontrunner in the spring for that job, but defensive coordinator Pete Golding on Sunday brought up Lawson as another candidate for the spot.
“You’ve got Moody that’s got experience in the system,” Golding noted. “You’ve got Deontae Lawson who obviously had a good spring, had a good summer, is having a good fall camp. I think there’s a push right there right now.”
Lawson is listed at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds by Alabama and if he earns a starting job he would pair at inside linebacker with senior Henry To’o To’o, who decided against entering the draft to return this season.
After committing to Alabama in 2019 over Auburn and LSU, Lawson finished high school as 247 Sports’ No. 52 rated prospect in the 2021 class. The outlet compared him to former Tide linebacker CJ Mosley and projected him as a potential first-round NFL draft pick.
Lawson finished high school No. 2 on AL.com’s A-List of senior football recruits behind Pinson Valley’s Kool-Aid McKinstry, who became a starter for the Tide late last season and is trying to hold down that job this August.
Moody has long been a special-teams and occasional defensive contributor for Alabama. He had the potential to start in 2021 before To’o To’o transferred from Tennessee, and after himself exploring the transfer portal this offseason, returned to Alabama with a chance to start.
“I think the biggest thing, he knows this, is consistency,” Golding said Sunday of Moody. “There are always flashes that you’ll be able to see and say ‘Hey, there it is,’ but then you come back the next day and the inability to be able to stack it, and then the next day, it’s like ‘ No, that’s not it, that’s going to get us beat.’ Whether it’s on the field or whether it’s off the field. It’s consistency in the decision-making process, and a preparation. And once he’s out there — play fast.
“We’ve seen more of that, but we’ve got to get the pads on and put him in a live environment once we have the scrimmages, and really evaluate it to make sure we’ve got the best guy at that spot. “
Golding added another name to the competition in five-star freshman Jihaad Campbell and said redshirt freshman Ian Jackson — a Prattville native who did not play last season — is “preparing the right way, practicing hard.”
Add inside linebacker to the list of position battles to watch this camp.
“Once we come out of camp we’ll see who that guy is,” Golding said.
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.