This week, our 2025 Alabama Preview continues with a look at the linebacker group.
As stated in previous articles in this series, in recent years, we’ve waited until fall camp began to take a look at the upcoming team, giving the coaches every possible second to finalize a pre-camp roster. This has led to content droughts, however, so we’ve chosen to break up the 2025 Alabama team preview into eight segments, following our traditional eight-category game previews.
This week, we are focusing on the two traditional inside linebacker positions as well as the Wolf linebacker position, which is most often used as a stand-up end and is classified as an end in Bama’s 4-2-5 base. The Wolf position is almost identical to the Jack/SLB outside linebacker spot from Bama’s previous defensive system, and is therefore included here rather than with the defensive linemen.
Fans who are familiar with our preview articles know we rate each unit and place them in one of five categories: Excellent, Very Good, Average, Fair and Poor. New for 2025, we do a little advance scouting at the player level as well; if there is something that stands out, good or bad, it is noted for the players.
No walk-ons are rated in these articles – outside of the Special Teams preview, which will be the final in this series – unless we believe the walk-on in question has a real chance of making the actual playing rotation, not just playing in blowout situations. Players are listed below in the way we believe they finished spring camp. For players who were not yet on the team in the spring, they are listed at the end of their respective categories.
We will separate the Wolf candidates from the inside linebacker candidates and profile them separately here.
LINEBACKERS (Rating: Vg)
Starting inside linebackers – Deontae Lawson, Justin Jefferson
1. #0 Deontae Lawson (Sr., 6-2, 230)
Strengths: Plays bigger than he is, high level of experience, can slide down to the edge when needed but also can fill an A-gap
Weaknesses: Coming off a significant injury, doesn’t always play fast, probably a better fit in an odd-front defensive set
Analysis: Alabama got two significant, welcome surprises over the offseason when both Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson opted to return at inside linebacker. Lawson’s return solidifies the issue of who would be calling defensive signals, as the defense wasn’t the same after his loss toward the end of 2024. Inside linebackers are somewhat undervalued at the next level, which is why Lawson’s return is as much about making a statement regarding his injury as it is him wanting to accomplish something else at the college level. His versatility is a strength of his game, as he can play across the formation and takes natural pursuit angles when chasing down running backs. He will need to show that he didn’t lose any straight-line speed as the result of an ACL tear, but he also needs to play with more confidence more of the time, as it sometimes gives the impression that he’s a step slow to diagnose what’s in front of him. This was to be somewhat expected in 2024, as Alabama moved from Nick Saban’s 3-4 over/under to Kane Wommack’s 4-2-5 Swarm, so we’re more concerned with the physical return here more so than the mental. The ceiling is fairly unlimited for Lawson in regard to draft status – if the season goes off without a hitch, health-wise.
2. #10 Justin Jefferson (Sr., 6-1, 225)
Strengths: Has the speed of a safety, active to the point of distraction, brings coverage skills to the position
Weaknesses: Plays smaller than listed, gets caught up in the wash and can be easily redirected
Analysis: Perhaps no player on the roster benefited more from the change in defensive schemes in 2024 than Jefferson, who was sort of a man without a position under Nick Saban. Signed out of junior college, Jefferson got an extra year from what is being called the “Diego Pavia Ruling” after the Vanderbilt quarterback who brought suit to get a year of eligibility back that had been counted against him while he was in junior college. The case is still active, but the NCAA has granted eligibility to anyone affected while the suit travels up the legal ladder. In the current defense, Jefferson brings a quickness and high motor that makes him ideally suited to slot quickly into different gaps across the defense. What he doesn’t have – despite being listed as only 1 inch and 5 pounds smaller than Lawson – is the ability to effectively crash the middle of the formation on short yardage and take on a lead blocker. As long as Lawson is around, he won’t have to.
Reserve inside linebackers – Nikhai Hill-Green, Cayden Jones, Q.B. Reese, Darrell Johnson II, Luke Metz, Abduall Sanders Jr.
3. #41 Nikhai Hill-Green (Sr., 6-2, 235)
Strengths: Starting experience with multiple programs, big linebacker with low center of gravity, plays downhill but is better in coverage than one might expect
Weaknesses: Better on a line than laterally, production needs more consistency
Analysis: Alabama was recruiting Hill-Green to take Jefferson’s spot prior to the Pavia ruling; now Bama has both players. In the spring, Hill-Green showed that he’ll give Alabama the flexibility to again rotate three inside backers – Jihaad Campbell was the third along with Lawson and Jefferson in 2024 – without losing anything. Hill-Green is sort of a photo-negative image of Jefferson; he fits the bill of the traditional big, stout inside linebacker perfectly. But, like Jefferson, Hill-Green has also shown the ability to make an impact in coverage. Hill-Green’s career at Michigan, Charlotte and finally Colorado showed a player with a knack for being in the vicinity of turnovers, whether creating them himself or recovering fumbles. He just needs to develop more consistency; the vast majority of his production came in one season with Colorado, and it wasn’t exactly expected based on his prior work.
4. #30 Cayden Jones (So., 6-4, 230)
Strengths: Good speed for his size, has a face-first mentality for contact, quality special teams player
Weaknesses: Needs to avoid the nagging injuries, in that danger zone where filling out his body might make him too big for the role
Analysis: Jones was sort of in a three-man freshman rotation with Sterling Dixon and Justin Okoronkwo last year, all three players getting their turn during blowouts and the occasional package work. Dixon and Okoronkwo have since transferred, so that leaves Jones to carry the torch for his recruiting class while now trying to fend off another trio of talented freshmen. Jones looks more like a tight end than an inside linebacker, tall with long limbs and a lankiness about him that suggests he hasn’t grown into his eventual size yet. The key will be letting him do that without it costing him in the speed department. He’s fast enough to have made an early impression on special teams, enough of one that he burned a redshirt doing it. He’s had the tendency to be aggressive to the point that he catches some backfire damage, so he’ll need to rein in the wild-horse mentality a bit. Still, Jones has the inside track for a starting job in 2026.
5. #36 Q.B. Reese (RFr., 6-0, 222)
Strengths: Quicker than most inside linebackers, smart player who takes sound pursuit angles, frustrates slow-footed blockers
Weaknesses: Listed height/weight is generous, solely a package player at least for this season
Analysis: With the transfers of Dixon and Okoronkwo, Q.B. Reese suddenly finds himself more of a focal point than some thought he’d be this early in his career. Reese, the son of former Auburn star Quinton Reese, is one of those guys who knows he has to play above his physical limitations and for the most part, does so. He’s not dissimilar to what Justin Jefferson looked like upon his arrival from the junior college ranks, and like Jefferson, there’s room for Reese in this defense right now, provided the coaches can develop package that both showcase his talents while at the same time helping him hide a relative lack of height and bulk. Spring practice observers consistently listed Reese among those who stood out, so we’re interested to see what Bama does here. Alabama tends to stick to four inside linebackers unless the game gets out of hand, so Reese will have to make the best of limited opportunities. He’ll almost certainly be a centerpiece of kick coverage units.
6. #35 Abduall Sanders Jr. (Fr., 6-2, 233)
Strengths: Ready-now size and physique, good run-stopping talent, explodes into tackles
Weaknesses: Lack of FBS experience, will need to get comfortable playing outside the box
Analysis: The book on Sanders coming out of high school was that Alabama was setting up to replace Deontae Lawson with The Next Deontae Lawson. Sanders will get a year to learn the nuances of the defense and learn his responsibilities in coverage, but if Alabama has to call upon him this year to play a role, coaches will at least know that he can hold up to the physical end of the deal. His high school films show an athletic, aggressive hitter who already knows how to defend the pass, but probably his best trait to date has been his ability to diagnose plays and find clean lanes to the ball carrier. Put this guy on the stars-of-tomorrow list.
7. #26 Luke Metz (Fr., 6-3, 230)
Strengths: Good straight-line speed, excellent tackling mechanics, takes on blockers without hesitation
Weaknesses: Lack of FBS experience, faster than he is quick
Analysis: If Sanders is the guy that can play all over the field, Metz is the box middle linebacker who can be a no-go zone for ball carriers and receivers in that area. Metz’s high school tapes reveal an athletic, aggressive linebacker with good hands who plays well in zone coverage, but probably lacks the quickness to defend complicated routes outside the zone. Perhaps his best attribute is a never-back-down mentality when it comes to taking on blockers – which, when combined with his physicality, makes him a potential headache for tight ends and fullbacks. Like Sanders, if necessary, Metz probably could fill a role in 2025, but sitting a year might be to his benefit.
8. #15 Darrell Johnson II (Fr., 6-1, 220)
Strengths: Good coverage skills as he was more of a high school safety than linebacker, fluid and fast in pursuit, can work through guys as well as around them
Weaknesses: Lack of FBS experience, played almost exclusively on the edge in HS when not a safety, will need bulk
Analysis: There’s a ton of potential here but it might be a year or two before it comes into view. Darrell “Duke” Johnson looks taller than 6’1” on tape and he has top-line speed for a linebacker, but in high school he played a hybrid safety/OLB spot more often than not – when he was making plays on defense. Johnson’s offensive highlights were sometimes just as good as his defensive highlights. He’s more accurately rated as an “ATH” than a linebacker, all things considered, but it seems Alabama is going to put him on the Jefferson track into being a weakside linebacker and sometimes, a rover.
Wolf outside linebackers – Qua Russaw, Yhonzae Pierre, Noah Carter, Justin Hill
1. #4 Qua Russaw (So., 6-2, 241)
Strengths: Best edge-setter Bama has against the run, intelligent against the pass and disrupts passing lanes frequently, can move inside when needed
Weaknesses: Not a pure pass rusher, can sometimes wear down against physical running games
Analysis: If Jefferson wasn’t the player who made out the best during the switch in defenses, it was certainly Russaw, who went from buried down the depth chart as a freshman under Nick Saban to being bracketed with Quandarrius Robinson at Wolf last year – and Robinson ended up an NFL Draft pick. Russaw will be coming off an injury of his own this fall, and the most important thing for Alabama will be to find a backup who can help take snaps off the table. Russaw is fantastic setting edge against the run as an end, and while he can play all three downs he’s only adequate as a pass rusher. The bigger issue going forward is that without Robinson around to help mitigate the effects of an opposing running game, it might get harder rather than easier to keep the mileage down. Alabama went to a twin-Bandit look late in 2024 and might have to do the same thing again. On the other hand, Russaw is also capable of moving to inside linebacker to give Alabama a larger presence across the front six. He’s technically eligible for the NFL Draft following this year and might play his way into it with a good season.
2. #42 Yhonzae Pierre (So., 6-3, 248)
Strengths: Quick first step against ends when rushing the QB, linebacker speed in a straight line, hot streak-type player who can be a load when he’s locked in
Weaknesses: Needs improvement against the run, gets knocked out of his lane a lot
Analysis: Strictly from a pass-rush move standpoint, Pierre might be the designated third-down guy for this defense. The question will be whether he can improve his play enough on first and second downs to get a larger workload. Pierre flashed a ton during practices the last two years but it didn’t make it to the field. He had a good opening to the 2024 season but recorded few stats after the Wisconsin game. It’s go time for Pierre now, because he’s going to have some competition coming from behind him on the depth chart. He has comparable size to Russaw and needs to learn how to use it to keep offensive linemen’s hands off him, especially when defending the run. When he hasn’t been able to run around the blocker, he’s struggled to make an impact.
3. #24 Noah Carter (RFr., 6-4, 242)
Strengths: Some of the best HS tape as a pass rusher you’ll ever see, great quickness in short spaces plus the acceleration to get upfield, dips well and has good balance
Weaknesses: Doesn’t play as thick as listed, more of a disruptor than a setter
Analysis: We’re not sure whether Carter is really 242 pounds but if he is, that means he had to have put 20-30 pounds on since getting to campus. His high school tape – recall that Carter was one of Kalen DeBoer’s first recruits to be identified and signed wholly by the new staff – is near-legendary, with Carter routinely sprinting off the line, embarrassing the offensive tackle and putting quarterbacks and running backs down in the backfield. Alabama isn’t Arizona high school football, though, and while observers had a generally favorable opinion of Carter last year, it was clear he needed to add some blades to his pocketknife. If Carter can show early on that he can take a pounding in the running game and help set the edge, he will probably find a relatively clear path to unseating Pierre as the second-team Wolf. On his high school film, Carter looks 220 pounds at most. With his frame, he probably needs to get to 250 before he can play every down against SEC competition.
4. #8 Justin Hill (Fr., 6-3, 242)
Strengths: Plays with heavy hands, eats up bad technique from OTs, good closing speed with a definitive second gear
Weaknesses: Lack of FBS experience, aggressiveness can be used against him to reroute him, little HS use outside of a stand-up role
Analysis: Hill is closer to Russaw than either Pierre or Carter looked at the same point in their careers. Hill doesn’t just tackle, he attacks; his heavy-handed style ends up forcing a lot of fumbles and other miscues and players remember when they’ve been hit by him. Offensive tackles who don’t get their feet under them quickly will find Hill to be a major problem, not just in that he has the speed to get around them but also in that he will engage blockers and knock them further off-balance. He’s a high-motor, high-hustle guy with good closing speed and doesn’t quit on plays. He played a bit of inside backer in high school, but one thing he’ll have to work on at Alabama is coming out of a stance. Almost all of his high school work as an outside linebacker is in a five or seven technique, standing up. He had the strength at that level to dispense with tight end blocks fairly easily without having to line up as a six, but that’s not likely to happen at this level. Still, with the lack of a proven depth chart behind Russaw, Hill has an excellent chance to see meaningful playing time in 2025.