Alabama commitment Deontae Lawson preparing for Tuscaloosa

Deontae Lawson, four-star linebacker from Mobile Christian in Alabama, made a surprise, unexpected commitment to the University of Alabama on December 27, 2019. He was recruited by the entire SEC. His head coach, Ronnie Cottrell, thought he was close to committing to Auburn or LSU.

Auburn, in fact, continued to pursue Lawson long after his commitment to Alabama. Lawson never wavered. He remained solid with his decision throughout the recruiting process.

"The winning tradition and the coaches were a big reason for my early commitment," Lawson said. "I also just feel comfortable there. I feel like they can develop me to be the best I can be.

"I am glad I committed early. I feel for the kids who didn't commit early and couldn't take visits. I already took all the visits I needed before I made my decision. I saw all I needed to see."

Lawson played at a high level during his senior season. Mobile Christian lost last week in the second round of the state playoffs against American Christian. He finished the year with 101 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception. He also added 429 yards rushing with eight touchdowns and 114 yards receiving with another score.

"I felt like I had a pretty good year," he said. "I was more of a leader than I was last year. Overall, it was a good season. I feel like I improved with my instincts and just understanding the game better. I improved on getting off blocks."

Southeast recruiting analyst Chad Simmons featured Lawson in early October in his '10 prospects whose stock is on the rise' feature. Below is what Simmons had to say regarding the Alabama commitment. Rivals will update its player rankings in early December.

"Lawson is a player we expected to see numerous times in the spring and summer to re-evaluate, but we had to wait until the 2020 season," Simmons said. "He has not disappointed. Lawson is putting on a show weekly it seems, and not just on defense. The Alabama commit has made his fair share of plays on offense too. Lawson is flying to the ball, he is playing fast and he is playing violent. Lawson’s play to date definitely has him moving up. Now the question is, how high?"