Alabama Basketball Lands USF Transfer Chris Youngblood

Youngblood was the co-AAC player of the year at South Florida last season.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The wheels of the transfer portal continue to turn. After Alabama basketball has lost three players to the portal in the past week, it now gets another addition in South Florida guard Chris Youngblood.

Youngblood is coming back home, as he was born in Tuscaloosa before moving to play high school basketball in Georgia. He spent the first three years of his career at Kennesaw State, then transferred this past season to USF, where he helped lead the Bulls to a regular season championship. He averaged 15.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists on his way to being named the co-AAC Player of the Year.

His skillset fits perfectly in Nate Oats' offense. He shot over 40 percent from three this past season, a mark he's hit for three consecutive seasons. Across his 4-year career, Youngblood is a 39 percent 3-point shooter. He's also a good finisher at the rim, and has good size for a guard at 6-foot-4 and a bulky 218 pounds, and is a solid defender on the perimeter. He fits the bill as a suitable replacement for Rylan Griffen, one of Alabama's starters from the Final Four run that entered the portal two days ago.

Youngblood is the second commitment Alabama has locked down from the transfer portal this offseason, joining Pepperdine guard Houston Mallette. Alabama is now back at the scholarship limit of 13 players for next season, but players still have decisions to be made regarding the NBA Draft and potentially the transfer portal.

He'll be a 5th-year senior thanks to an extra COVID year of eligibility, so next season in Tuscaloosa will be his final season of college basketball.

Check out BamaCentral's 2024-25 Alabama basketball roster tracker for a complete breakdown on where the roster stands.