Position Week: Five offseason questions for Alabama’s inside linebackers

BamaOnLine will spend these summer months breaking down the position groups on Alabama’s 2023 roster leading up to the start of preseason camp. We continue with the inside linebackers.

To continue ILB position week, here are five questions for the Crimson Tide’s inside ‘backers.

Can Lawson handle the field general role?

As a redshirt freshman a year ago, Deontae Lawson played in 11 games and made four starts at the Will linebacker position. That included the final two games of the 2022 campaign, where he recorded 15 of his 51 total tackles. As last year came to a close, current and now-former players praised the young defender for his willingness to learn the Alabama defense, which should be beneficial as he is a top choice to take over as the signal caller in his third season with the Tide. Although he was hampered by an injury this spring, Lawson figures to be a significant piece to the defensive puzzle in 2023-24 – a role he began preparing for this past season.

“I’ve seen him grow a lot, just from the time he came in,” defensive back Malachi Moore said. “Me and D-Law, we’re very close. We hang out almost every day. Just to see him learning and growing, he’s one of the guys that will be up at the facility from eight in the morning until six at night, seven at night. He’s one of the last ones to leave. He’s always watching film and learning different positions so he can be the general of the defense.”

Which of Alabama’s returning players step up?

In addition to Lawson, the Crimson welcomed back four other linebackers that all saw the field as reserves or special teams contributors on last year’s team. Lawson, Kendrick Blackshire and Ian Jackson came in in the same signing class, Alabama’s top-ranked recruiting haul in 2021. Blackshire played in eight games this past year, while Jackson appeared in three. Both players have dealt with injuries during their time at Alabama, but they were healthy for the spring, which ended with Blackshire recording eight tackles and one sack and Jackson tallying one tackle as two of the three inside linebackers on the second-team defense in the A-Day Game. 

Two young players, Jihaad Campbell and Shawn Murphy, worked with the ones to cap the 15 spring practices. While Lawson was sidelined, the second-year ‘backers shared first-team reps with one of the newcomers. Campbell finished with two tackles and one sack, while Murphy had one tackle. Both players contributed as freshmen, playing on special teams and then later in games, but they saw valuable reps in December when players higher in the pecking order were either limited or out with injury. Of this quartet, Campbell seems like the top candidate to push for playing time in Year 2 at Alabama, but there are quality options throughout the unit.

Will a newcomer carve out a first-team role?

We mentioned a newcomer that worked with the ones to end the spring, and that was Georgia transfer Trezmen Marshall, who joined the program after four seasons in Athens, Ga. Marshall has dealt with injuries throughout his college tenure but was looking for a fresh start at Alabama. A mature player that brings experience to a relatively inexperienced position room, Marshall is a top candidate at the spot opposite Lawson. But so is another transfer, Justin Jefferson, a junior college addition that joined the team prior to the Sugar Bowl. Jefferson had six tackles on A-Day and showed off his explosiveness when given an opportunity with the second defense.

With the Crimson Tide losing veterans like Henry To’oTo’o and Jaylen Moody at the position, it makes sense for Nick Saban and company to add a couple of experienced players via the portal and junior college ranks. While they have to continue to learn the new defense, both transfers could push for a first-team role this fall. Alabama didn’t add a high school inside linebacker as part of its 2023 signing class, but one of the three freshman outside ‘backers, Qua Russaw, can play off the ball. He spent most, if not all, of the spring working with the edge rushers, however, and that would have been the time to experiment. Still, he is worth mentioning here.

Who claims the opening alongside Lawson?

Even though he was limited by injury this spring, Lawson is the most experienced returner in the inside linebacker room, meaning it would be a shock if he didn’t claim one of the starting spots. Whether the Mike or Will, that still leaves one vacancy and several interesting options to try and fill it. Campbell, Marshall and Jefferson are all possibilities here, as are returning players like Murphy, Blackshire and Jackson. At this point in the summer, Campbell and Marshall seem like the most likely candidates to be on the field for the Sept. 2 season opener, but there is plenty of time between now and then for others to compete and challenge for the starting spot.

“Trez Marshall is doing a really good job,” Saban said this spring. “He adds some maturity there. The other guys are coming along. They’re all getting better. They’re competing well. We’re moving them around. Shawn Murphy has done a pretty good job. Jihaad Campbell has done a pretty good job, and those guys are kind of rotating in and out of there. Lawson is out for the spring. He’s the one guy that has experience that would be a good player that would add leadership to that position. This is a good thing that those guys are getting all those reps, too.”

Will we see better play out of Alabama’s ILBs?

Alabama hasn’t been bad at inside linebacker, but the position hasn’t been quite the same over the last several seasons. While To’o To’o was praised for his ability as a defensive signal-caller – and rightfully so – a knock on the fifth-round draft pick was not as dynamic and aggressive as some of the guys that manned the position in the past. There was inconsistency, whether on the field or on the sideline. With different players stepping up into larger roles and not only a new position coach in Robert Bala but a new defensive coordinator in Kevin Steele, will there be a noticeable change in the middle of the Tide defense this fall? For Alabama to get back to being a dominant defense, this position group needs to improve and set the defensive tone.

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