Another top recruit moves his visit to Bama up as Nate Oats stays aggressive on trail

Nate Oats has been on a tear for Alabama basketball on the recruiting trail recently. Last week, the Crimson Tide landed commitments from a pair of 4-star wings: Chris Washington Jr. and Tarris Bouie.

Over the weekend, Alabama welcomed a trio of 5-star visitors to campus: Caleb Holt, Dylan Mingo, and Jaxon Richardson. Holt's trip to Tuscaloosa was moved up after originally being scheduled for October.

Now, another elite recruit has moved his visit up:

Cole Cloer's decision was on the heels of the report by Jamie Shaw that twin 7-footers Darius and Adonis Ratliff would be on official visits to Tuscaloosa this weekend:

Translation for Cloer: if you want to be part of this class, get here for a visit and commit already because spots are filling up fast, and we can't promise what's available today is going to be available tomorrow.

Alabama already has commitments from two wings, and we know they covet another in Jaxon Richardson, the son of former NBA All-Star Jason Richardson. They'll hold spots for Dylan Mingo and Caleb Holt as long as those two want to wait, but the others may be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Nate Oats has Alabama pushing for an elite recruiting class in 2026

Oats hasn't put all of his eggs in one or two baskets for this cycle. He has Alabama involved with a plethora of elite prospects for the 2026 class.

With two commitments already, the Tide ranks No. 4 in the 247 composite. And there's a lot of meat left on the bone.

It remains to be seen with Mingo, but Alabama will be in it until the end for Holt, an Alabama native who the staff has made a priority for several years now.

There are several scenarios that could pan out with this class, but Alabama seems likely to end up with one of the top classes in the country. They very well could challenge for the No. 1 class in the country.

But spots are limited. With two guys in the bag already, it's hard to imagine Oats taking more than three more in the high school class. He will want to save room for some instant Transfer Portal contributors. That could change if the SEC ends up expanding roster sizes to 15, though it will be difficult to keep that number of players happy. There's still only 200 minutes to go around each game.

Roster building in college basketball has a lot of variables, which makes it incredibly challenging. Fortunately for Alabama fans, Oats and assistant Preston Murphy have proven to be masters at their craft.