Kane Wommack Praises Steps From Keon Sabb, Deontae Lawson

Two of Alabama's key leaders on defense, Keon Sabb and Deontae Lawson, both spent spring practice recovering from season-ending injuries they suffered. Sabb broke his foot against Tennessee in October, and Lawson tore his ACL against Oklahoma in November.

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Both players have been key contributors to the Crimson Tide's defense this season, with Lawson totaling 18 tackles, two pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. Sabb has totaled 14 tackles, one pass breakup, and one interception on the season. In the last two games for the Crimson Tide, either Lawson or Sabb has recovered a turnover for Alabama. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack praised the progress of both players during his Monday media availability.

"I think you look at both those guys, they're continuing to take steps in the right direction," Wommack said. "There is an element to - I said it a second ago - good teams get better, good football teams get better as the season goes on. Certainly, when you're coming off an injury, there is a certain level of adjustment period, right, getting back into the swing of things. Keon is playing at a faster level week in and week out. Deontae, all the communication pieces - sometimes he doesn't make the play necessarily so it doesn't show up to you, but for our defense, structurally, all the things that he does from a communication standpoint, anticipation, alignments, and getting our guys in position to go execute, I think he's doing that at a really high level right now.

"I'm excited about those two guys, I'm excited about a number of guys in our defense, but whoever continues to take steps forward will be the ones that stand on top of the moment at the end, right? Those are the teams that ultimately put in the work the week of preparation and practice so that they can show up on Saturday. That's certainly what we got to do getting ready to go to Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday."

Lawson is the only returning captain from the 2024 team, with both he and Sabb working to increase their draft stock before April's NFL draft.

Alabama will take on Missouri at 11:00 a.m. in Columbia, Missouri, on October 11.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.