Tracker: Alabama Basketball's Returners, Additions, Departures for 2026-27 Season

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4-seed Alabama basketball fell to 1-seed Michigan 90-77 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on March 27 in Chicago. This loss ended the Crimson Tide's 2025-26 season with a 25-10 record.
These next couple of days will be a reflection for Alabama and head coach Nate Oats. The Tide will recount the moments that made them laugh, cry and created a bond that will last a lifetime. But the page will be turned to the 2026-27 season very soon.
The transfer portal opens on April 7, the day after the National Championship, and closes on April 21. BamaCentral is keeping track of the Crimson Tide’s outgoing and incoming players and coaches right here ahead of next season.
This article will be updated regularly throughout the offseason as changes to the roster and staff occur.
Last update: April 22
Returning
- G Aden Holloway (will be a senior *pending legal matter*)
- G Preston Murphy Jr. (will be a senior)
- F London Jemison (will be a sophomore – re-signed on April 18)
- F Keitenn Bristow (will be a junior *pending medical redshirt* – announced return on April 22)
- C Collins Onyejiaka (will be a sophomore *pending medical redshirt*)
Exhausted Collegiate Eligibility
Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
Wrightsell was the lone 2025-26 Alabama player who was also a member of the 2023-24 Final Four team. He wrapped up his sixth season of basketball, playing three with the Crimson Tide after starting his career with Cal State Fullerton. He was labeled by Oats as a leader of this team on numerous occasions and his early departure from last season following an Achilles rupture gave him a National Championship mentality.
Wrightsell averaged 13.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals. In 27 appearances (19 starts), he played 27.3 minutes per game and had shooting splits of .403/.360/.793.
Houston Mallette
Whenever Mallette's name was mentioned during a press conference, Oats lit up and gushed over him. The guard was also recognized as a leader and it showed every game via his extreme energy on and off the floor. Like Wrightsell, Mallette's 2024-25 season — his first in Tuscaloosa after three years at Pepperdine — ended early due to knee injuries, and he plays every game as if it's his last.
Mallette averaged 6.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.6 steals. In 35 appearances (12 starts), he played 23.3 minutes per game and had shooting splits of .372/.355/.886.
Noah Williamson
Williamson transferred out of Bucknell last offseason after being named the Patriot League Player of the Year. The Alabama center was available for every game this season, but he averaged less than 10 minutes per contest. His season-high was 10 points against Kentucky, but he also scored eight with two 3-pointers in the Round of 32 win over Texas Tech.
Williamson averaged 1.3 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocks. In 33 appearances (no starts), he played 8.2 minutes per game and had shooting splits of .313/.167/.643.
NBA Draft Declarations
Labaron Philon Jr.
Philon was named the SEC Player of the Week four times this season, as he finished the regular season third in the conference in points per game (21.5 on 50.7 percent from the field) and fourth in assists per game (4.8). He went from shooting 31.5 percent from deep in Year 1 to 39.9 percent in Year 2.
He became the third player in program history with 700 points in a single season and the 57th with 1,000 career points. Philon is the first power-4 player since 2000 who averaged 21-plus points, 4-plus assists and shot over 50 percent from the field.
These accolades helped him become named a Third Team All-American by all four NCAA outlets (AP, USBWA, NABC and Sporting News). Philon has been projected as a lottery pick for the 2026 NBA Draft for most of the year.
Amari Allen (still maintaining collegiate eligibility)
Oats said before this season that the freshman “stood out as a surprise” due to his ranking from recruiting outlets. He was deemed an underrated prospect with something to prove.
Allen went on to start in 24 of his 32 games played this season, as he averaged 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Week three times, which led to him being named one of five players on the All-SEC Freshman Team.
Allen was consistently featured in the first round of mocks for the 2026 NBA Draft throughout the season. Oats was adamant that NBA teams would want him because of he's "all about winning," and Nick Saban was also impressed by him when he attended a game.
Outgoing Transfers
- Taylor Bol Bowen (Transferred to Oregon): In 30 games (11 starts) this season, the junior averaged 6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds (1.1 offensive), 1.0 blocks, 0.5 assists and 0.4 steals in 19 minutes per contest. He transferred to Alabama before 2025-26 after spending two years at Florida State.
- Aiden Sherrell (Transferred to Indiana): The sophomore averaged 11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds (2.4 offensive), 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 2.2 blocks in 23.9 minutes. Sherrell led the SEC in blocks with 76. He had two games this season with eight blocks, and yet he had seven total in 2024-25! Sherrell was the only member of the Crimson Tide to start in every game he played in this season.
- Jalil Bethea (Transferred to Pitt): The Miami transfer 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.
- Jacob Martin (WALK-ON): The 6-foot-10, 220-pounder saw time in 10 games this season, all of which were blowouts that he played the final minutes of. In 13 total minutes, Martin scored three points, grabbed one rebound, dished an assist and snatched three blocks.
- Davion Hannah (Transferred to South Carolina): The freshman guard was diagnosed with a medical condition after playing 10 games and eventually missed the remainder of the season. His last last game was against South Florida on Dec. 17. In that span, he averaged 3.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.2 blocks in 12.8 minutes per game.
Incoming Transfers
- Brandon Garrison (Kentucky): The 6-foot-10, 245-pound big man averaged 4.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.8 blocks in the 16.3 minutes per game this past season. Garrison will mostly reside in the paint next season, as he's attempted 57 three-pointers (16 makes — 28.1 percent) in 103 career contests.
- Jamarion Davis-Fleming (Mississippi State): The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward averaged 3.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 32 games of his freshman campaign. He was a 4-star recruit and the No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi in the Class of 2025. Javian Davis, his older brother, played at Alabama from 2018-20.
- Cole Cloer (NC State): The 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward redshirted as an early enrollee with the Wolfpack this past season. That said, he will have a full four years of eligibility when he arrives in Alabama. The 4-star recruit attended from the 2026 class is ranked as the No. 59 overall prospect, the No. 23 small forward and the No. 8 player in the state of Florida, per On3.
- Drew Fielder (Boise State): The 6-foot-11, 225-pound center/forward averaged 14.7 points on 54.7 percent from the field — the best mark in the Mountain West — and shot 40.9 percent from deep. The All-Mountain West Second Team member played in 32 games (30 starts), and also averaged 5.7 rebounds, including 1.8 offensive, 1.3 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.5 blocks in 23.7 minutes per contest.
Assistants on the Move
Will be updated as needed
Incoming Assistants
Will be updated as needed
The 2026 Recruiting Class
The rankings listed are from the time of each player's commitment
Tarris Bouie, Small Forward
Bouie, who signed with Alabama last November, is the No. 33 prospect on the ESPN 100 list. The 6-foot-6, 170-pound SPIRE Academy standout from Geneva, Ohio, is the 13th-ranked player at his position and the second-best athlete in his state.
“I have a very good relationship with coach [Nate] Oats," Bouie told ESPN when he committed. "We talk often, and that was the big difference in my decision. He is a genuine guy. Coach Oats recruited me hard, and I really like their style of play. Over the summer, I remember him being at almost every one of my games.
Qayden Samuels, Small Forward
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound standout from Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md., is ranked as a consensus 4-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 18 prospect nationally, the No. 6 small forward and the No. 2 recruit in the state, per 247 Sports. He's also the No. 23 prospect in On3's rankings and holds the No. 22 spot in ESPN's list.
“Qayden Samuels is an electric scorer and has proven himself to be one of the best scorers in the country," Oats said in a press release. "Qayden is a very good athlete who plays above the rim and makes good plays with the ball in his hands. We are elated to sign one of the most sought-after players in the country.”
Jaxon Richardson, Small Forward
The 6-foot-6, 205-pounder from Southeastern Prep is ranked as the No. 21 prospect nationally, the No. 7 small forward and the No. 4 player in the state of Florida, per 247 Sports. He's also the No. 27 prospect in On3's rankings and is No. 17 in the ESPN100.
The McDonald's All-American is the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson, who was in the league for 14 years. He's also the brother of Orlando Magic guard Jase Richardson.
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Hunter De Siver is the lead basketball writer for BamaCentral and has covered Crimson Tide football since 2024. He previously distributed stories about the NFL and NBA for On SI and was a staff writer for Missouri Tigers On SI and Cowbell Corner. Before that, Hunter generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral as an intern in 2022 and 2023. Hunter is a graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media in 2023.
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