Inside linebackers are an unheralded lot in modern football. They barely get paid in the NFL, and they’re often the target of an offensive scheme: if an OC sees a smaller linebacker, they try to run the ball at them. If it’s a bigger linebacker, they try to get them into pass coverage.
It’s a tough life to essentially be the piece of the defense that an offense is targeting their decisions on while having to generally be able to do defensive line things and defensive back things on any given play
– all while often being the player communicating the plays, and ultimately knowing you probably won’t get drafted as high as your teammates at other positions.
Despite all of that, there are a few who still love to hit offensive ball carriers, and that’s what makes a linebacker the most iconic position in football.
For Alabama, the Tide lost all of their main players from the position after 2025, so the group we’ll be seeing in 2026 is going to be totally brand new, for better or for worse (and who’s to say which it is going to be).
The Departed
Deontae Lawson was a long time starter for the Tide over the last 3 years. He was a team captain and a steady leader for the Tide through the transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer. Lawson did have his fair share of injury struggles that I think prevented him from quite living up to his potential, but he was still a steadying presence for years. He’s now a UDFA for the Philadelphia Eagles
Justin Jefferson
The JUCO transfer was a bit rocky for the Tide in 2024, but really found his groove in 2025 after he was granted one extra year of eligibility. Jefferson was always a bit undersized, but had exceptional speed. He was drafted on day 3 by the Cleveland Browns
Nikhai Hill-Green
Hill-Green transferred in from Colorado when Alabama thought that they would be losing Jefferson and Lawson after the 2024 season. They both returned, and Hill-Green didn’t get the playing time that I would guess he was hoping for, but he was still a constant in heavy packages. He’s now hoping to make the roster for the L.A. Rams.
The Incoming Veteran
#7 – Caleb Woodson (Sr) 6’3” 240
Woodson is a multi-year starter and team captain from Virginia Tech who actually started his career as a safety before bulking up and moving to linebacker for the Hokies. Woodson was brought in to start for Alabama, and by all accounts, he has impressed at every turn and is expected to be a leader on this defense. All of the conversations about position battles this offseason have been “who will start beside Woodson” and not “will Woodson be a starter?”
On top of that, he’s added 10 pounds this offseason to get even more into true inside linebacker weight territory.
The Contenders
#4 – Luke Metz (So) 6’3” 235
Metz has been one of the main stories of fall camp so far, getting mentioned by name by both coach DeBoer and DC Kane Wommack. The sophomore was an unheralded recruit, but Alabama and Georgia both REALLY wanted him. He’s got some real run-and-hit juice to him, and seems to be in the lead right now to be the next starter for the Tide.
#36 – QB Reese (RSo) 6’0” 230
Reese has always had some limitations with his height. However, he’s gotten a lot of praise the last two springs and got a decent bit of playing time as a reserve for the Tide last year. He’s known for his instincts and nose for making plays, and many have been projecting since last year that 2026 was going to be his year to be a starter.
#30 – Cayden Jones (Jr) 6’4” 233
Jones played his fair share of snaps, often alongside Reese, last season, and generally did well. Entering the spring, many of us thought he might be the top contender for the starting job (me included). However, he’s barely been mentioned by the staff or beat media this fall.
#35 – Abduall Sanders (So) 6’2” 231
The second year man from California was known for being more of a throwback middle linebacker that excels at taking things head on right in the middle of the defense as a run stuffer. I’ve long considered him solely a reserve player, but Kalen DeBoer recently listed him by name as competing with Metz and Reese and doing a great job.
#15 – Duke Johnson (So) 6’1” 233
Johnson was always going to be a long-shot as a former high school defensive back and wide receiver at a small high school that only recently converted to linebacker. Still, he brings a speed and explosiveness that is hard to ignore.
The Freshman
#34 – Zay Hall (Fr) 6’3” 236
Hall is a Tuscaloosa native and was a pretty lowly ranked 3-star player. He’s got some nice chops as an inside run-stuffer with good instincts, but he’s most likely at the far end of the depth chart this year.
Predicted Depth Chart
I think that we’ll end up seeing Caleb Woodson as the starting Sting linebacker, while Luke Metz becomes the starting Mike. However, QB Reese will rotate with Metz pretty often. Past those two, I think that Cayden Jones and Abduall Sanders will round out the two-deep.
