Alabama football has a lot of experience at the top of its linebacker depth chart.

Both Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson are returning for another season. The Crimson Tide also added Colorado senior transfer Nikhai Hill-Green to bolster its middle linebacker spot.

But the majority of that veteran experience will not be seen this spring. Lawson is out. Jefferson is limited, Kalen DeBoer said Monday.

For DeBoer, those bowl workouts for those incoming freshmen were vital, saying they "really got a feel" for what life is like at Alabama.

"It's a social thing too, just getting comfortable with some of the relationships," DeBoer said. "And then they get here, and they're already kind of off and rolling in some ways. It ain't going to be long. We're not going to think of all these early enrollees not as freshmen anymore. We're going to think of them as almost sophomores."

Those younger players, DeBoer said, are getting experience with green-dot communication. While Alabama is limited to one player with in-helmet communication on game days, it can have as many players as it wants to have that communication during practices.

While DeBoer said Lawson will be his go-to communicator come fall, and Jefferson at No. 2, he said "it's good for all of (the linebackers) to get that experience."

"There's a lot of stuff being thrown at some new faces on the defense when it comes to the communication, the green dot," DeBoer said.

Along with Hill-Green, Johnson, Metz and Sanders, Alabama linebacker Cayden Jones and QB Reese should also expect increased reps this spring with the injuries to Lawson and Jefferson.

Alabama will hold its A Day spring game at noon April 12 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.