The Transfer Portal officially opens on April 7th, and hopefully by next week Nate Oats will have more clarity on his current roster and the number of spots that are going to be open on the Alabama roster.
Here's what we know for sure: Houston Mallette, Latrell Wrightsell, and Noah Williamson have all exhausted their eligibility. That leaves three open spots, plus the one spot Alabama already had.
Alabama has three commitments in the 2026 recruiting class in 4-star wings Jaxon Richardson, Tarris Bouie, and Qayden Samuels.
Labaron Philon will almost certainly enter the NBA Draft after a terrific sophomore season. Amari Allen's future is less certain. Whether he returns or not will go a long way in determining where Alabama has needs in the portal.
The biggest wildcard is, obviously, Aden Holloway. His future on the basketball court is in jeopardy after he was arrested and charged with two felonies following a raid on his apartment, which found him in possession of over two pounds of marijuana.
There's also some potential Transfer Portal candidates for Alabama, from those who are more likely to some that could be totally unexpected. Remember, this time last year, nobody saw Mo Dioubate's transfer coming. You just never know in this era.
Regardless, there are quite a few talented players who have already announced their intent to enter the Transfer Portal, and Oats should be aggressive in pursuing them right away.
These 3 Transfer Portal targets would be perfect fits for Nate Oats and Alabama
3. Baye Ndongo, PF, Georgia Tech
Oats made it known shortly after Alabama's loss to Michigan in the Sweet 16 that the Crimson Tide had to get bigger this offseason. That doesn't just mean taller, but they need guys with a bit more weight on them in the frontcourt to handle the physicality that the better teams in the country always possess.
Georgia Tech transfer Baye Ndongo is around the same height as Taylor Bol Bowen, but he outweighs him by 40 pounds at a listed 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds.
Ndongo averaged 12 and 8 on a bad Georgia Tech team this year. He's a versatile defender and an excellent rebounder, carrying a 12.0 offensive rebounding rate and a 20.4 defensive rebound rate.
He's not a volume shooter, but he has proven he can make threes. In his three years with the Yellow Jackets, he's connected on 35.6% from deep. Pairing him in the frontcourt with Aiden Sherrell, who is a proven shooter, would lessen the sting if he's not able to replicate that percentage on a higher volume.
2. Drew Fielder, PF/C, Boise State
Oats experimented with a two-center lineup this year in the five games that Charles Bediako played in. It's clear that he was intrigued by the idea, though the results left a good bit to be desired.
Boise State transfer Drew Fielder could get Alabama to look more like they did a year ago when they made the Elite Eight with a starting frontcourt of Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi. Fielder and Sherrell could complement one another in the paint.
Fielder, a former Georgetown transfer, knocked down 40% of his three-pointers on nearly three attempts per game for the Broncos this year. He averaged 15 points and 6 rebounds per game in just under 24 minutes a night.
1. Isaiah Johnson, PG, Colorado
If I were Oats, I believe I'd operate under the assumption that Aden Holloway wouldn't be able to play next season. Then, if he is, it's just a bonus.
His potential replacement could already be in the portal in Colorado point guard Isaiah Johnson. The former 3-star recruit massively outperformed expectations, averaging 16.9 points per game and hitting 37.8% from three. Despite being just 6-foot-1, he was an impressive 66% at the rim.
The only concern with Johnson would be if Holloway does return, you'd be locked into starting two 6-foot-1 guards in the backcourt, which would be detrimental to the Crimson Tide's ability to improve defensively.
It could be a worthwhile risk, however, as if Alabama doesn't find a Holloway replacement and he isn't able to return to the court, the Crimson Tide would be in deep trouble at guard or next season.