It's important to remember that things happen quickly in the Transfer Portal. There are often commitments that seemingly come out of left field.
Alabama's first commitment in the 2026 Transfer Portal cycle is exactly that.
Kentucky transfer big man Brandon Garrison committed to Alabama on Sunday night despite no reported contact or interest from either side. Nate Oats notoriously moves quietly in the portal as he pursues his top targets, and this is the latest example:
NEWS: Kentucky transfer forward Brandon Garrison has committed to Alabama, sources told @On3. ⁰⁰https://t.co/P2CLLLO2iq pic.twitter.com/8xqsyjw4OQ
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 13, 2026
Alabama lands Transfer Portal commitment from Kentucky's Brandon Garrison
Garrison won't be Alabama's Aiden Sherrell replacement, but his addition is a continued signal that Oats is serious about getting bigger in the frontcourt. Garrison, who started his career at Oklahoma State, is 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds.
Garrison has been a quality reserve big for Kentucky the past two seasons, 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while playing 16 minutes a night this past season.
His 10.3% offensive rebound rate is nearly equal to Sherrell's, but his 17.4% defensive rebounding rate well surpasses Sherrell's. He doesn't block shots at as high of a rate as Sherrell, but he's a lot more versatile as a defender and is a lot more comfortable in switches. He had a 3.6 defensive BPM (box plus-minus) this past season at Kentucky, per Bart Torvik.
This could signal a fundamental change in defensive philosophy. Instead of relying on playing drop coverage, adding guys of Garrison's athleticism and versatility will allow the Crimson Tide to switch everything defensively.
Drop has been Oats' preferred coverage defensively the last several years after the 2022-23 team mastered the coverage with Charles Bediako as the anchor and finished 3rd in the country in KenPom's defensive efficiency metric.
But it hasn't worked as well the last few seasons, and Alabama's defensive struggles have been what have held them back from being a legitimate National Championship contender.
Garrison's addition could be the first step toward changing that.
And while the Kentucky transfer isn't a great shooter, he's hit enough threes in his career to make defenses respect him as a stretch five. And you can bet that Oats will have him in the gym firing away from deep all summer long to increase those numbers.
Garrison is the first commitment for the Tide in the portal, and won't be the last. You can follow along with Alabama's Transfer Portal activity by following this link.