Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack did an incredible job of roster retention, recruiting talented freshmen, and getting quality transfers from the portal in his first offseason on the Crimson Tide’s staff.
He was able to persuade Tim Kennan III, LT Overton, Deontae Lawson, Domani Jackson, and Keon Sabb to forgo the NFL Draft and return to Alabama for this season. Justin Jefferson, a former junior college transfer, is back for his second campaign with the team. The 6-foot-1, 228-pounder experienced a successful year in the 4-2-5 “Swarm Defense” in 2024.
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Jefferson was all over the field as an inside linebacker, recording 60 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble. He brings a hard-hitting mentality, but he plays very well in space. Jefferson’s lateral quickness makes him a great ‘Sting’ player, but his instincts would serve well as a ‘Mike’ linebacker or green dot communicator for Wommack.
Last year, the NCAA passed a rule stating that junior college transfers would not have their JUCO years count against their eligibility. Diego Pavia of Vanderbilt benefitted from the ruling; however, he was not the only one. Jefferson received the greatest Christmas present of his life as Wommack called him with incredible news. He shared with Roger Hoover of Crimson Tide Sports Network about the experience of returning to the Tide to run it back with Wommack.
"Christmas Day. @KaneWommack called me. I started crying because I knew what it was."
— Crimson Tide Sports Network (@UA_CTSN) May 15, 2025
– @AlabamaFTBL LB @JustinJ1_ on getting the chance to return to the Tide for the 2025 season.@Roger_Hoover's Full Interview on Crimson Drive driven by @NASCAR at 2 pm: https://t.co/tgBThLFa8p pic.twitter.com/PzoG65HxOE
“It was Christmas day. Coach Wommack called me and said ‘I didn’t want to call you or say anything until it was for real, but you are able to come back,'” Jefferson said. “I just started crying”
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Jefferson knew when he got the call there was only one place he wanted to be.
“There was no doubt in my mind to come back one more time and have more experience. … I feel like this time it is going to be more fun,” he said. “It was a good Christmas for sure.”
Alabama gets another year with Jefferson and he’s paired with Lawson and Nikhai Hill-Green, a transfer from Colorado. Jefferson brings fierceness back to the inside linebacker room.
Stephen M. Smith is a senior analyst and writer for The Bama Standard. You can follow him on X via @CoachingMSmith.
