Alabama Football has so much talent at linebacker, it is hard for Crimson Tide fans to see any serious weakness. The Wolf position has abundant talent and depth, along with considerable experience. The starters at inside linebacker, Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson, are fifth-year players. While Lawson has not reached 100% recovery from his knee injury, he is expected to start against FSU. Lawson's backup at Mike linebacker, transfer Nikhai Hill-Green, is also a fifth-year player.
Lawson and Hill-Green saw little action as freshmen, but in their other three seasons of play, the duo has produced a total of 400 tackles. Though hopefully not needed for a key role in 2025, sophomore QB Reese has stood out to his teammates during the offseason. Add heralded freshman Duke Johnson as a future Crimson Tide star, and the Mike position is solid.
Alabama Football and the Sting Position
The situation at the Sting linebacker is different. Though Justin Jefferson was limited during spring work, Jefferson is expected to be a full go for Fall Camp. Behind Jefferson, there is talent, but almost no meaningful game experience. Sophomore Cadyn Jones played in 11 games last season, but in six of those games, his work was only on special teams. The 6'4", 228 lbs., former 4-star recruit has the potential to be an impact player.
The other primary backups at Sting are freshmen. Abduall Sanders and Luke Metz began working with the Crimson Tide during bowl prep. Metz was the more highly rated recruit. The former 4-star from Hoschton, GA, chose Alabama over the Georgia Bulldogs, Oklahoma, LSU, Michigan, and other programs.
Metz is tabbed as a future starter, but during the spring Abduall Sanders Jr. created more buzz. At 6'2" and 231 lbs., Sanders is built like Jefferson and has similar speed. There has been speculation that Sanders could bypass Jones as the No. 2 Sting early in the season. The Fall Camp battle between the two of them (and Like Metz) is something to follow. Alabama needs one of the three to become the clear No. 2 at Sting before travelling to Athens to take on Georgia.
Note: Player stats provided by Sports Reference