Former Alabama transfer Jehiem Oatis found that the grass wasn't greener for him at Colorado. The same issues that saw him lose playing time under Kalen DeBoer and the new Crimson Tide coaching staff followed him to Boulder, where he struggled to find snaps on a three-win team.
Oatis quit on his teammates at Alabama midseason last year in the aftermath of the Crimson Tide's loss to Vanderbilt. He wanted to maintain the year of eligibility, so he walked away from the team and announced his intentions to enter the portal.
He ultimately decided on Deion Sanders and Colorado, and made sure to offer heavy criticism of DeBoer and the new coaching staff in Tuscaloosa on his way out the door.
“Last year, when I was there, they were literally messing me over and weren’t giving me playing time,” Oatis said to Pete Nakos. "That was a big part of why I left. The new staff wasn’t for me. And once I found out that they didn’t mess with me, I knew it was time to get up and get out of there.”
Evidently, the staff at Colorado was messing with Oatis as well. The 325-pound defensive tackle found playing time few and far between with the Buffaloes.
On a defense that desperately needed help on the defensive line, Oatis struggled to carve out a role. The same issues with his work ethic that plagued the last two years of his career at Alabama were prevalent at Colorado. Now, Oatis heads back to the same place he found himself a year ago: the Transfer Portal:
NEW: Colorado DL Jehiem Oatis plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos reports.
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 15, 2025
Oatis is a former Alabama transfer. https://t.co/FzyqBtCEAj pic.twitter.com/IdQPz68abr
Former Alabama DT Jehiem Oatis is back in the Transfer Portal again
Hopefully, things not working out in Boulder will cause Oatis to self-reflect and realize that the issues that led him to the portal from Tuscaloosa were his own, and not DeBoer or anyone on the new coaching staff.
Oatis is an undeniably talented player. He carved out an immediate role for Nick Saban as a true freshman, but has seen his playing time dwindle in the seasons since. He had less of a role during his sophomore season, and then was almost out of the rotation entirely last season before quitting.
He found himself in the same situation at Colorado this year.
With one year of eligibility left, Oatis will have one final opportunity to make good on his God-given ability. If not, his football career may be nearing a premature ending that no one would have seen coming after his impressive debut in 2022.