Alabama LB Deontae Lawson Out for Season

One of the Crimson Tide's captain left Saturday's game against Oklahoma with a right leg injury.

Alabama linebackers Deontae Lawson and Jihaad Campbell / Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama redshirt junior linebacker and team captain Deontae Lawson exited the game with an injury in the second quarter of the Crimson Tide's 24-3 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday.

After the game, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said it was a "lower extremity injury" that would need to be further evaluated. According to a report by ESPN, Lawson will miss the remainder of the season with the leg injury.

Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack confirmed that Lawson will not be with the Crimson Tide this week for its rivalry game against Auburn, and head coach Kalen DeBoer confirmed that he would be out for the year with a "season-ending injury."

"I can see not just what he means to us on the field, but the love that our players have for him, especially those that have been through multiples years seeing what he's poured into it," DeBoer said Monday. . "I know we all feel for him. We appreciate everything he's been doing. Obviously we greatly miss what he does on the football, but love having that guy in the locker room leading our team."

Lawson was injured when trying to make a tackle and struggled to put weight on his right side as he was being helped off the field. He is second on the team with 76 tackles.

"When you lose a guy that is really he's kind of your steady maker in the box and does such a great job with the green-dot communication and is such a leader for our guys and a great communicatior on the field, that's tough," Wommack said. "That's a tough loss for sure."

The redshirt junior is the player responsible for the coach-to-player helmet communication on the Alabama defense. Wommack said Justin Jefferson has been the other player throughout the season in practice who has been backing Lawson up and will be taking over that role with Lawson out.

"He's a guy you can count on," DeBoer said about Jefferson. "He's really trustworthy, pours everything into it. He has just a team-first mindset. Going through spring ball and him trying to figure out his role at the time. He's been ready whenever called upon. He's worked through things here and there with injuries. Any guy's looking forward to that moment.

"And I know that along with the disappointment we have and how much we love Deontae, we're also excited about the next man up, and the opportunity that it creates for him... We're confident in him."

Wommack also cited Jeremiah Alexander, Justin Okoronkwo and Cayden Jones as young players who are trending in the right direction at the middle linebacker position who will now need to step up without Lawson available.

Read more: Jalen Milroe in the Run Game: What I Noticed In Alabama's 24-3 Loss to Oklahoma

How to Watch the Iron Bowl: Auburn at No. 13 Alabama

2024 SEC Football Power Rankings: Week 13