Indiana Beefs Up Its Frontcourt As Former Florida Forward Sam Alexis Commits

Sam Alexis is just the second forward to commit to Indiana from the transfer portal. He played for national champion Florida in 2025.
Florida Gators forward Sam Alexis (4) drives against Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Cameron Matthews (4) during the first half at Humphrey Coliseum.
Florida Gators forward Sam Alexis (4) drives against Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Cameron Matthews (4) during the first half at Humphrey Coliseum. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana got another commitment on Thursday night. This time? The committed player didn’t have a “G” need to next his name to identify his position.

Forward Sam Alexis, who played for national champion Florida during the past season, committed to the Hoosiers.

Alexis, who is listed at 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, confirmed the commitment on his Instagram page via Joe Tipton of On3Sports.com. He brings rebounding prowess and a shot-blocking presence to the Hoosiers.

Alexis has three seasons of college basketball under his belt. He began his career at Chattanooga before he transferred to Florida for the 2024-25 season.

At Chattanooga, Alexis played his way into a starting role for the Moccasins by his sophomore season. He played 65 career games for Chattanooga, starting 32 of 33 games as a sophomore.

Alexis averaged 7.9 points and 6.5 rebounds during his Chattanooga career. During his sophomore season, he averaged 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds while playing 26.4 minutes per game.

Alexis was not able to break into Florida’s starting rotation. He played 24 games for the Gators, averaging 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds. He only played in one game in Florida’s NCAA Tournament championship run, a one-minute appearance against Maryland in the Sweet 16, a game Florida won 87-71.

Most of the action Alexis saw came in nonconference contests. He played double-digit minutes in 10 of 12 nonconference games. Alexis only hit double-digit minutes in four SEC contests.

Nonetheless, Alexis is a strong rebounder. His total rebounding rate of 19.6% led the Southern Conference in 2023. His offensive rebounding rate – the amount of rebounds available when a player is on the floor – has never dipped out of a double-digit percentage as his career rate is 13.4%. A double-digit offensive rebound percentage is considered to be very good.

Alexis is also a good rim protector. He led the Southern Conference in blocks at 2.1 per game in 2024. His decreased playing time at Florida knocked his blocks average down, but he provides a skill that Indiana lacked on its still-evolving roster.

Alexis is the ninth player DeVries has added via the transfer portal and second of the day. Earlier on Thursday night, former Elon guard Nick Dorn committed to the Hoosiers.

How many spots Indiana coach Darian DeVries has left on the roster is in flux due to the still-delayed House settlement.

If the House settlement is approved, NCAA Division I schools get 15 men’s basketball roster spots. Alexis’ addition would leave five remaining spots when incoming freshman Trent Sisley is added to the transfer portal players.

If the House settlement is not approved – Federal Judge Claudia Wilken gave parties 14 days to phase in roster limits to allow current athletes to maintain their spots – then the presumption would be that the old system of 13 scholarships would go back into effect. In that case, Indiana would have three scholarship spots left.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

  • NICK DORN IS A HOOSIER: Former Elon guard Nick Dorn committed to Indiana. CLICK HERE.
  • DRAKE COMMITS TO INDIANA: Former Drexel guard Jason Drake has committed to Indiana. CLICK HERE.
  • CONERWAY COMMITS: Former Troy guard Tayton Coneway is a Hoosier after he confirmed his commitment on Wednesday night. CLICK HERE.
  • MILES IS A HOOSIER: Former North Florida guard Jasai Miles has committed to Indiana. CLICK HERE.
  • DEVRIES WINS HEARTS AND MINDS: Not only did Darian DeVries get Lamar Wilkerson, he beat Kentucky to do it. That will go over very well among Indiana fans. CLICK HERE.
  • WILKERSON WANTED TO BE A PRIORITY AND INDIANA MADE HIM FEEL THAT WAY: Lamar Wilkerson explained why he chose Indiana over Kentucky. CLICK HERE.

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Todd Golden
TODD GOLDEN

Long-time Indiana journalist Todd Golden has been a writer with “Indiana Hoosiers on SI” since 2024, and has worked at several state newspapers for more than two decades. Follow Todd on Twitter @ToddAaronGolden.