MOBILE, Ala. — The presence of former Alabama linebackers Anfernee Jennings and Terrell Lewis at this year’s Senior Bowl serves as a glaring reminder of what the Crimson Tide will be losing next season. The pass-rushing duo combined for 14 sacks and 24 tackles for a loss last year and leave two sizeable holes in Alabama's defense.

That being said, neither player is worried about their potential replacements for the coming season.

“A lot of them, man. You’ve seen them,” Jennings said. “A lot of them played as freshmen, true freshmen, so you know with that experience and that confidence on a level like that, next year they’re destined for greatness. Just keep an eye on a lot of them.”

Alabama returns five scholarship outside linebackers from last year including redshirt senior Ben Davis, redshirt junior Christopher Allen, redshirt sophomore Jarez Parks, sophomore King Mwikuta and freshman Kevin Harris II. Of that group, Allen is the surest bet to see extended playing time next season. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder filled in for Lewis during the Citrus Bowl and finished the season with 4.5 tackles for a loss and .5 sacks to go with a pair of quarterback hurries.

So who projects to fill the other starting role on the edge? Tuesday, Lewis provided a couple of names to watch, listing Mwikuta and Parks as potential breakout players

“They both have a lot of ability,” he said. “It’s just a matter of them getting the reps, getting comfortable in the system and really just understanding everything, as a whole, of the defense and understanding the concept.”

Mwikuta played in 10 games last season, recording four tackles while serving as a backup and on special teams. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound pass rusher came to Alabama as a four-star prospect last year and was rated as the No. 13 outside linebacker in the 2019 class.

“He’s got all the physical dog traits that you want,” Lewis said. “It’s just a matter of him making sure he knows what he’s doing and just getting reps. I think once he gets acclimated into the system, he’s going to be and every-down backer.”

Added Jennings: "King’s definitely somebody to watch out for. He’s just a good, hard-working kid, smart. He’s just freakish athletic, so be on the lookout for him. He loves the game.”

Parks played in four games last season. While he failed to register a tackle, he flashed his pass-rushing ability against Ole Miss when he forced Rebels quarterback John Rhys Plumlee into an errant throw which was intercepted by safety Jared Mayden. Parks, 6-foot-4, 239 pounds was rated as the No. 118 player overall in the 2017 class and took a gray shirt before joining Alabama in 2018.

“He’s a freaky pass rusher,” Lewis said. “It’s just a matter of him knowing he’s such a freaky pass rusher.”

While Alabama returns plenty of talent at outside linebacker, the Crimson Tide will also welcome in a quartet of highly-rated freshman pass rushers in five-stars Chris Brasswell and William Anderson as well as four-stars Drew Sanders and Quandarrius Robinson.

“I definitely think that we really like that group of guys,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said on Early Signing Day in December. “They're all very talented. They're all good pass rushers. They're all long. So you know losing two guys that we're going to lose this year, losing other guys that we recruited who are no longer in the program created a great need at that position, and we're really pleased with the players that we have at that position.”

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