The center of Alabama’s defense is where the uncertainty lives this summer, and Kane Wommack isn’t pretending otherwise.
With Deontae Lawson, Justin Jefferson and Nikhai Hill-Green all gone, the Crimson Tide has to sort out not just its two starting inside linebackers, but the next wave behind them as well. Yhonzae Pierre is back as an edge rusher, but the middle of the defense remains the biggest open-ended job on the unit.
Asked about that linebacker group, Wommack didn’t hand out any names or try to force a quick answer. He pointed instead to position coach Chuck Morrell and the way that room is being built.
"Chuck Morrell does a fantastic job in the offseason of just preparing his guys," Wommack said. "He's relentless in the preparation that he demands out of that room.
Those young linebackers, they don't know anything different, so they follow suit. ... They live in the building, and it's really been great to see their development."
Wommack also noted that the work up front has made life easier for the linebackers.
"Some of the improvements that we have made on the D-line this offseason certainly helps that linebacking corps as well," Wommack said.
From there, he laid out the standard for the group: play downhill, attack, and be more forceful at the line of scrimmage.
"I think one thing that we wanted to make sure is that we were more aggressive from the backing corps: guys getting downhill and being more aggressive at the line of scrimmage, and I think those guys have really taken heart to that," Wommack said.
Alabama does have a working picture of who could step into the mix. Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson, who has more than 1,200 snaps under his belt, is the leading candidate to handle the "green-dot" communication and led linebacker reps early in fall camp. Cayden Jones and QB Reese, both junior linebackers, are also in the competition, along with several second-year players and five-star freshman Xavier Griffin.
The question at linebacker isn’t gone yet, but Wommack sounded encouraged by how the young group has responded to the challenge.
Alabama opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 11 a.m. CT against East Carolina.
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