The offseason so far for Nate Oats and Alabama basketball has widely been considered a success.
Oats and company had one major goal in mind: get bigger, tougher, and more versatile in the frontcourt. Mission accomplished with the additions of SEC transfers Brandon Garrison (Kentucky) and Jamarion Davis-Fleming (Mississippi State, along with Boise State's Drew Fielder.
Alabama also added NC State wing Cole Cloer, a Top 30 2026 recruit before he reclassified and redshirted with the Wolfpack, to go along with a three-man high school recruiting class full of versatile wings in 5-stars Qayden Samuels and Jaxon Richardson, and 4-star Tarris Bouie.
Alabama's roster is deep, versatile, and incredibly talented. Between the high school class and the Transfer Portal, 247 ranks Alabama 11th in talent acquisition this offseason.
Somehow, however, The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman still considers the Crimson Tide one of his five "offseason losers" as revealed on his podcast on Tuesday.
Jeff Goodman believes Nate Oats and Alabama "lost" the offseason so far
"I'm not a big Brandon Garrison guy," Goodman said. "They spent a lot of money on him, and he's probably going to start, I would assume at the four. Aden Holloway, we don't know. Is he going to be cleared to play at Alabama next year after he was caught with all that weed a few months ago? ...Amari Allen, I think he ends up back at Alabama, but he's going through the NBA Draft process as well. You've got Drew Fielder, good player. London Jemison, good player.
"It just doesn't look like a roster that I would expect an Alabama team that we have frankly been used to under Nate Oats being a Final Four contender. It just doesn't look that way to me."
Oats is banking on pulling the talent out of Garrison that Mark Pope failed to at Kentucky. He looked like a promising player as a freshman at Oklahoma State, but his development stagnated in Lexington. If he can reach his potential, he's an outstanding fit in Tuscaloosa, and he and Davis-Fleming will give Alabama a lot of versatility in the front court.
Versatility is the biggest weapon for the Crimson Tide next season. Outside of Holloway, Alabama's entire rotation should feature guys 6-foot-6 and taller. That's a huge swing in roster construction for Oats than what he has normally had here.
Goodman is right to question things with regard to Holloway and Allen. There's no guarantee either will play at Alabama next year. Holloway is still working things out on the legal side of things, and Allen is participating in the NBA Draft process as a projected first-round pick. Clarity on Allen will come sometime this month. Holloway may take a while longer.
Oats and Preston Murphy have contingency plans in place for all outcomes with those two.
But the success - or lack thereof - of Alabama's offseason likely comes down to whether both Holloway and Allen are suiting up for the Crimson Tide in 2026-27.
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