It was obvious from the moment that Aiden Sherrell entered the Transfer Portal after a productive sophomore season at Alabama that his priority was one simple thing:
A significant pay raise.
Where that came from didn't really matter, so long as it was hefty.
Sherrell blossomed in his sophomore season with the Crimson Tide, becoming one of the top big men in the SEC, averaging over 11 points, six rebounds, and two blocks per game. Playing in Nate Oats' NBA-friendly system represented the best opportunity for Sherrell to continue growing and potentially carve out a career in the NBA.
Alabama wanted to keep Sherrell. But not at the price tag it was going to take.
Sherrell had a lot of options once he entered the portal. Had he chosen to head home to Michigan or Michigan State, well, that would be understandable. Instead, Sherrell decided to sign with a program that hasn't made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in a decade and hasn't made a Final Four in nealry a quarter century:
Sources: Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell has committed to Indiana.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 15, 2026
Former Alabama center Aiden Sherrell commits to Indiana
Led by super donor Mark Cuban, Indiana has opened up the checkbook in order to field championship-level teams. Despite what Curt Cignetti just pulled off in leading the Hoosiers to a football championship, basketball has always, and will always, reign supreme in the state of Indiana.
Sherrell's salary hasn't yet leaked, but you can bet it's near the $4 million range. Indiana wasn't even on his radar coming out of high school, and nobody expected the Hoosiers to be in contention for him in the Transfer Portal. But money can change a lot of things.
And to be clear, I don't even blame Sherrell. But let's call a spade a spade. He'll talk about wanting to play for a "blue blood" or the coaching style of Darian DeVries, but none of that matters. He was in a perfect spot for his skill set in Tuscaloosa and chose to leave because he couldn't squeeze out the amount of money he wanted.
Now, he'll take the bag to go to Bloomington to play for a coach with nowhere close to the track record of Nate Oats. DeVries has never even made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, and despite a significant roster investment last year, he missed the Big Dance in his first season with the Hoosiers.
Sherrell gets his payday, but he's taking a big risk with his development and the lack of on-court success enjoyed by the Hoosiers in recent years, with a coach who has yet to prove he can win at this level.
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