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A look at which early enrollees impressed for Alabama this spring

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Alabama welcomed in 15 early enrollees in January. Several of those newcomers have already made a promising start to their Crimson Tide careers. Here’s a look at Alabama’s top-performing true freshmen from spring camp.

Deonte Lawson, ILB 

Alabama’s long list of absences on A-Day provided a few first-team opportunities for young players. Chief among those was Deonte Lawson, who started alongside Jaylen Moody on the White team (first-team defense) as Christian Harris and Shane Lee were unavailable for the scrimmage.

Lawson recorded four tackles, including one for a loss, with two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. Following the game, he was named as one of nine recipients for the Ozzie Newsome Most Improved Freshman Award.

Lawson, 6-foot-2, 217 pounds, joined Alabama as the No. 65 overall player and No. 2 inside linebacker in the 2021 class. The Mobile, Ala. native will still likely be behind both Harris and Lee once they return to the fold. His place on the depth chart might also be affected by the potential arrival of Tennessee linebacker Henry To'o To'o, who is considering a transfer to Alabama.

Many of Alabama’s former stars at the linebacker position began their career on special teams. Due to the Tide’s depth at the position, Lawson could follow down that path during his freshman season. Still, the athletic linebacker figures to be an important piece to Alabama’s defense for years to come.

“Deontae Lawson, man, he’s a freshman that just came in here and he’s been improving a lot,” Moody said following the A-Day game. “Been learning, been making tremendous improvement every day, coming to work every day, asking all the questions that he needs to make sure that he learns the playbook. You saw it today. He made a couple plays out there. He’s gonna keep improving, and we’re gonna keep going so that we can have him ready for the upcoming season.”

Jalen Milroe, QB 

Perhaps the most disappointing absence on A-Day came in Jalen Milroe, who was unable to put a bow on what has been a productive spring camp. While the four-star quarterback wasn’t on hand to display his dual-threat athleticism inside Bryant-Denny Stadium over the weekend, he generated rave reviews following Alabama’s second scrimmage where sources told BamaInsider that he made several big plays with both his arm and his feet.

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Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Deonte Lawson. Photo | Associated Press
Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Deonte Lawson. Photo | Associated Press
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