Evaluating Alabama Commit, SI All-American Candidate 2021 LB Deontae Lawson

The longtime Crimson Tide pledge is aiming for a big senior season

The University of Alabama’s longest standing pledge in the 2021 recruiting class is four-star linebacker, Sports Illustrated All-American candidate Deontae Lawson. 

He went public with his decision to roll with the Crimson Tide back in December of 2019 and was by himself in the class until mid-April, when three-star defensive tackle Anquin Barnes and four-star wideout Agiye Hall joined him. 

Lawson's breakout junior season included 144 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, seven sacks, and three interceptions. This past Monday morning, he landed on the Butkus High School Award preseason watch list for most outstanding linebacker in the country at the prep school level. 

Whenever he arrives in Tuscaloosa, he projects to play at the inside spot but could also play on the edge as a pass rusher. 

SI All-American's full evaluation of the Yellow Hammer State standout is below: 

Prospect: Deontae Lawson
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-3, 217 pounds
Position: Linebacker
School: Mobile (Ala.) Christian
Committed to: Alabama
Projected Position: Linebacker

Frame: Tall with rock solid length and defined muscle in upper half. Room to add mass in trunk and lower extremities depending on positional plan at the next level.

Athleticism: Very fluid athlete regardless of position or sport, transitions well. Dabbles as varsity basketball player with grit and lower-body explosion, including one-handed dunking ability. On the football field, transitioned from edge presence to inside linebacker in 2019 with great success, particularly inside the box with downhill attacking style.

Instincts: Just a football player. Time at defensive end, linebacker and wildcat quarterback each provide insight on his overall football IQ, motor and unselfishness. Some pop at the point of contact. Lateral range and play diagnosing makes for a volume tackler at any level.

Polish: Fast-flow linebacker tape in 2019 with splash plays behind the line of scrimmage as an inside-out attacker. Anticipates well and can play run-through lanes like a running back with reactive quickness. Not many samples of coverage responsibility but aware and athletic enough to stay on the field on third downs beyond edge bending prowess as an underclassmen.

Bottom Line: Lawson has a strong foundation of second-level execution on his resume as a traditional linebacker capable of captaining a defense in addition to potentially dynamic edge pursuit of the passer. It translates to three-down ability at the next level with the potential to develop into an SEC starter down the line once a singular position becomes the focus.