Ronnie Cottrell was shocked when he was informed he got mentioned at SEC Media Days in Atlanta.

Then again, he shouldn’t be surprised knowing his former high school standout, Deontae Lawson.

The Alabama linebacker was asked Wednesday who in his hometown of Mobile helped make him the man he is today.

“That’s a great question,” Lawson said. “First, I think my parents, of course. They always have been my support system. They’ve always been in my corner no matter what. I definitely think they were raising me the right way.

“I had a high school coach, Ronnie Cottrell, man, he did a lot for as well.”

Cottrell, who just recently took T.R. Miller coaching job, was 85-31 in nine seasons at Mobile Christian, Lawson’s alma mater.

“Wow, man,” Cottrell said when reached by AL.com on Wednesday. “That’s what keeps you in it. Stuff like that is what keeps you in the business. He’s a great person.”

Many of you might remember Cottrell for his stints in college football. Cottrell served as Alabama’s recruiting coordinator under then-coach Mike DuBose from 1998-2000.

Before that, he was at Florida State – under Bobby Bowden – in the 1990s and recruited the likes of Warrick Dunn, Peter Warrick, Chris Weinke and more.

On Wednesday, Cottrell couldn’t say enough about Lawson.

“Deonate Lawson is a very special, rare talent,” he said. “Just so proud of him and his success.”

Cottrell saw his share of talent at Mobile Christian. Alabama signees Lawson, Sterling Dixon, Eric Poellnitz and more all played under Cottrell.

“I love that young man,” Cottrell said of Lawson. “I truly do. We had a lot of good kids there. To me, he was a generational talent.”

The coach remembered how Lawson came to Mobile Christian as a left-handed pitcher. “A great baseball player,” he added. “The surprise is that he became a football player and carried it as far as he had.”

Lawson will anchor an Alabama defense expected to be one of the SEC’s most stout.

For Cottrell, Lawson will always be the kid mature beyond his years.

“He never really made a decision without discussing it with his parents,” he said. “Often times, he would ask me. Some of the discussions we used to have I will remember the rest of my life. The maturity and commitment to trying to be a great individual and being a great teammate is what I remember most.”

Lawson includes Cottrell among “people that helped me get to where I am today. I definitely had a lot of people to look at in ways of ‘don’t do that’ or ‘do that.’ So, I think that kind of motivated me as well.”

Cottrell deflected much of the praise, simply citing their conversations as personal. He did said he helped get Lawson in front of “people who have wisdom” when the linebacker was deciding whether to stay at Alabama or go pro.

“I was a facilitator more than anything,” he said.

It was evident Cottrell still talks about Lawson as a proud parent.

“He isn’t finished yet.”

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.