Alabama Basketball Guard to Enter Transfer Portal

Alabama basketball guard Jalil Bethea is planning to enter the transfer portal, per 247 Sports' Travis Branham.

Bethea is the third member of the 2025-26 Crimson Tide eyeing a change of scenery, joining forwards Taylor Bol Bowen and Aiden Sherrell.

Bethea saw time in 26 games (no starts) during his sophomore campaign in Tuscaloosa. That said, he played just eight minutes per game, which resulted in averages of 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.2 steals and 0.1 blocks. He shot 37.5 percent from the field, including a 31.4 percent clip from downtown.

There were a handful of games where he never even saw the floor. Head coach Nate Oats' reasoning each time was related to Bethea's defense and turnover issues. However, he received an uptick in minutes towards the end of the season and during the NCAA Tournament, as his effort and mindset in practice played a big role.

"I think he's done an unbelievable job keeping his attitude right where it needs to be," Oats said of Bethea on March 19. "I love him. He comes in, plays hard, great teammate. I really hope he goes in and plays well [against Hofstra in the Round of 64]. "Playing well doesn't necessarily mean just making shots, making highlight plays, which he's more than capable of, but it's being locked into the defensive end, impacting winning.

"That's the one thing you've got to keep emphasizing to these guys that come either out of high school or maybe places they haven't won at the level we've won is what can you do to impact winning. It's not all scoring. It's why we chart as many things as we chart. I think he's starting to figure that out. I would love for him to take advantage of this opportunity he's got in front of him and really play well here this weekend."

The former McDonald's All-American transferred to Alabama last offseason after spending his freshman year at Miami. He played 18.1 minutes per game (16 starts) with the Hurricanes and averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists.

Nevertheless, after transferring to UA, he suffered a foot injury in a September practice, and it forced him to miss the Tide's first seven games of the season before making his debut on Dec. 3 in the win over Clemson. Perhaps his best game at Alabama was four days later against UTSA, where he totaled what would become season highs in points (21), rebounds (6) and steals (2).

The transfer portal opened on April 7, the day after the National Championship, and will close on April 21. BamaCentral is keeping track of the Crimson Tide’s outgoing and incoming players and coaches right here ahead of next season.

For those eyeing the next level, the NCAA’s early entry withdrawal deadline for the 2026 NBA Draft is May 27 at 10:59 p.m. CT.

Alabama Players Who Could Still Return, Transfer or Enter NBA Draft

G Aden Holloway (would be a senior)
G Davion Hannah (would be a sophomore *pending redshirt*)
G Preston Murphy Jr. (would be a senior)
F Amari Allen (would be a sophomore)
F London Jemison (would be a sophomore)
F Keitenn Bristow (would be a junior)
C Collins Onyejiaka (would be a sophomore *pending redshirt*)

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