Alabama Inside Linebackers Becoming "More Aggressive"

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama will have to replace its top three inside linebackers from a season ago, with Deontae Lawson, Justin Jefferson, and Nikhai Hill-Green combining for 213 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 12 pass breakups, 5 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.

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The Tide added Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson to a linebacker room that returned reserves QB Reese, Cayden Jones, Luke Metz, Abduall Sanders Jr., and Duke Johnson II while signing Xavier Griffin and Zay Hall in the 2026 recruiting class, and one thing has been clear: Alabama wanted to get more aggressive in that room.

"I think Chuck Morrell did a fantastic job in the offseason of just preparing these guys. He's relentless in the preparation that he demands out of that room, and those young linebackers - they don't know anything different, so they follow suit," Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack told reporters on Friday. "They work their ass off, they live in the building, and it's really been great to see their development. Some of the improvements they've made on the D-line this offseason certainly helps that linebacking corps as well. One thing we wanted to make sure was we were more aggressive from the 'backing corps - guys getting downhill and being more aggressive at the line of scrimmage, and I think those guys have really taken heart to that."

Woodson seems to have locked down one of the two vacancies at inside linebacker, but the other opening is a competition among Jones, Reese, and Metz, with Sanders and Johnson pushing for playing time as well. Alabama will also be hard-pressed to keep freshman five-star Xavier Griffin off the field.

Check out Kane Wommack's full press conference here:

Alabama will return to the practice field on Monday, August 10. The Tide will open the season on Saturday, September 5, against East Carolina.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.