All signs point to Nate Oats plucking his Aiden Sherrell replacement from an SEC rival

Alabama missed out on Cade Phillips when he was a three-star recruit coming out of Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, in 2023, but it always made sense for the Jacksonville, Alabama, native to make his way at Tuscaloosa. Now, three years later, he’s in the Transfer Portal, and all signs point to him finally following his family ties to the Crimson Tide. 

Phillips is a 6-foot-9 forward with one season of eligibility remaining after spending three years with Rick Barnes in Knoxville. He only played in 10 games for the Vols this season before a shoulder injury finally put him out for the season. He averaged 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds across those 10 games and nine starts. 

With the Transfer Portal officially open, rumors have connected Phillips to the Tide, but it’s not hard to come to that conclusion for the Alabama legacy. Philips’ father, John David Phillips, and his uncle, Brodie Croyle, both played quarterback for the Tide, and his mother, Reagon Croyle Phillips, played basketball at Alabama. Throw in Nate Oats’s desperate need in the front court, and you’ve got the Tide’s most likely move in this year’s portal window. 

Cade Phillips’ family ties to the Tide could bring him to Tuscaloosa

Immediately after Alabama’s Sweet 16 loss to Michigan, Oats spoke about the need for his team to get bigger. That’s the current meta in college basketball with supersized teams like Michigan, Arizona, Duke, and even Florida, last season’s champ, dominating on the interior. 

That’s one of the reasons that Oats brought Charles Bediako back to the program and fought, though unsuccessfully, for him to retain his eligibility after playing in the G League. That happened as sophomore Aiden Sherrell was blossoming into an elite rim protector and floor-spacer. Now, Sherrell has also entered the portal, looking to cash in on the booming market for big men, so Oats has even more work to add around Taylor Bol Bowen and London Jemison. 

Phillips won’t be the player to get Alabama over the hump and back to the Final Four. But he can be an important piece of the puzzle, adding physicality to the front court. Phillips isn’t a three-point shooter, so he won’t provide the floor spacing element, but he averaged over a block a game in his limited action this year, so he can provide some level of rim protection. 

What will make Philips most important for Alabama is the optionality he'll give Oats, assuming he continues to bolster the front court. Amari Allen spent much of his freshman season playing as an undersized four. He played much better, however, on the wing in bigger lineups. Phillips will help slide him there more often and give Alabama some bigger lineups to match up with Florida in conference play and other supersized lineups in the postseason.

It's not yet a done deal, but it'd be a surprise if Phillips doesn't finally make his way to the Tide.