Deontae Lawson reflects on his journey at Alabama

Redshirt senior linebacker Deontae Lawson is heading into his fifth and final season at Alabama (second under head coach Kalen DeBoer). Lawson, who originally committed to the Crimson Tide with Nick Saban in charge, redshirted his first season but has played in 11 games each of the past three seasons.

In 37 career games, Lawson boasts 194 combined tackles, 16 TFL, five sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. His 2024 season was however unfortunately cut short as he suffered an ACL injury against Oklahoma in Alabama’s regular season finale.

Lawson reflected on his near-five year journey at Alabama on Tuesday. He was a four-star recruit coming out of Mobile Christian School (Mobile, AL) in the Class of 2021. He was ranked No. 48 nationally and was the No. 2 ranked player in the state of Alabama.

“I feel like, actually during my surgery (well not my surgery but my recovery process), it just made me think a lot about a lot of things,” Lawson said. “I’ve really reflected on just how blessed I am to wake up and be able to do this. When I come here I just try to be the same guy everyday. I just try to have high energy and impact my teammates and inspire as best I can.”

Lawson reveals his main goal for the 2025 season

“That’s really all I’m thinking about. I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can be and that comes from my past experiences. I think I’m doing a pretty good job of it.”

Lawson is just one of a few standouts on an Alabama defense tabbed as the best defense in college football by Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus.

“I feel like it’s something I’ve always carried but I think it took a little time to come out,” Lawson said about himself growing as a leader. “I really think just going through my injury, it just made me realize you’ve only got one shot at this to be honest. You just gotta take everyday one day at a time and no matter what’s going on you’ve just got to be a vessel for the person beside you. That’s what I’m trying to do and that’s my main goal for this year.”

The Crimson Tide will open the 2025 season with a bang, as they travel to Tallahassee for a major opening-weekend clash with Florida State on Aug. 30. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 PM on ABC.