Post-spring depth chart projections for Alabama’s inside linebackers

Now that spring football has officially wrapped up and the 2023 NFL draft is complete, it is time to shift our focus to the offseason.

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have a ton of questions marks exiting spring and fans are chomping at the bit for answers.

So as we dive into the dog days of summer, I thought we could take a look, position by position, and project the possible depth chart for the 2023 Alabama football team post-spring.

We have already taken a look at the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, defensive line, and outside linebackers. As we quickly move along the defensive side, let’s take a look at the inside linebackers.

Position Breakdown

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Alabama has a bit of a problem at the inside linebacker spot, in my opinion. And it’s not a bad problem either. The problem is what to do with all the talent in that position this fall. It is my opinion that Alabama has four guys that are worthy of playing with the first-team defense. Deontae Lawson, Trezmen Marshall, Justin Jefferson, and Jihaad Campbell all are more than capable of leading the middle of the Crimson Tide defense. This is a position that intrigues me a lot. Especially as we draw closer to fall camp.

MIKE Linebacker

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Deontae Lawson has all the tools and traits to be Alabama’s next great inside linebacker. After playing the WILL position last year, I expect Lawson to move over to the MIKE and be the field general for the Alabama defense. If Lawson doesn’t fill the role of the MIKE, it will likely be Georgia transfer Trezmen Marshall who put together an impressive spring in Tuscaloosa. Second-year player Shawn Murphy is a future star and veteran Kendrick Blackshire brings experience and grit to the group and is also one of the Tide’s best special teams players.

WILL Linebacker

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This is where things get interesting. I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Deontae Lawson will fill one of the two starting inside linebacker spots, leaving just one open position in the middle. I believe the battle for the WILL position will be between Trezmen Marshall and Jihaad Campbell, but you also can’t count out junior college transfer Justin Jefferson. All three bring a little something different to the position. Marshall is a savvy veteran who makes the right play, Campbell is an elite athlete with tremendous upside but is still a little raw, and Jefferson simply plays downhill at a different speed. This battle will be a lot of fun to watch unfold later this fall.

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Story originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire