Nate Oats has another 2026 5-star prospect visiting Alabama this weekend

Nate Oats has built Alabama basketball into one of the hottest programs in college basketball. They've also been the most consistent.

Only one team in men's college basketball has made the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons, and that's Alabama.

Alabama followed up the first Final Four in program history in 2024 by making the Elite Eight in 2025. Oats is far from satisfied, and has aspirations to lead the Crimson Tide to the program's first National Championship in basketball. If he keeps recruiting like he has, he might just do it.

Alabama's run of success on the court has caused many of the nation's top prospects to show immediate interest in the Crimson Tide. If you want to win, play in a pro-style offense, and get developed, there are few, if any, places better than Tuscaloosa right now.

Oats already has Alabama off to a hot start in the 2026 recruiting class, landing commitments from 4-star wings Chris Washington Jr. and Tarris Bouie.

Along with the two commitments, Oats and Alabama have hosted eight other 4 and 5-star prospects over the last month. They'll host a ninth this weekend, and the fifth 5-star.

5-star wing Qayden Samuels visiting Alabama basketball this weekend

Qayden Samuels, the District Heights, Maryland native, is a 5-star prospect and the No. 19 overall prospect in the 2026 class, per the 247 composite.

247's scouting report on Samuels from Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein:

"Samuels is a volume scoring lefty wing. He may hunt his offense, and try to score on virtually every catch, but there are few players in the country who can put points on the board in bunches like he can when he gets hot. While he would undoubtedly benefit from being a more willing ball-mover (1.4 assists to 1.7 turnovers) and picking his spots a little more selectively, he has the high release point to make tough shots without much separation, both in the mid-range area and behind the arc. He’s lethal with his pull-up game, shooting 38% from behind the arc off the dribble, and has a complimenting floater game as well.

He likes to use his handle to create space, but is at his best when also looking to put pressure on the rim. He can get downhill in the open floor and will go right at opposing shot-blockers and often trying to challenge them body-to-body. While that approach can draw contact and get him to the free-throw line, there are also times he could use more finishing craft.

Physically, he is naturally strong with long arms (6-foot-11 wingspan). He’s made solid strides athletically, but is not a naturally dynamic mover. He shows flashes of being a high-volume wing rebounder and active defender, but too often his intensity and attention to detail on that end of the floor comes in correlation to his offensive output.

In short, when he’s rolling, he’s one of the best players in the country, putting up big numbers, scoring at all 3 levels, defending, and rebounding. Consistency is the key though. There are still times, when he can be ball dominant, settle for tough shots at two levels, and allow his overall motor to be predicated on whether or not the ball is going in."

Adam Finkelstein

Oats is pushing to land the top overall class in this cycle. Early returns point to it being a legitimate possibility. Oats has landed top classes at Alabama every cycle, but this one could be a historic class heading to Tuscaloosa.

The top overall prospect on the Tide's board remains 5-star Alabama native Caleb Holt, but they certainly aren't putting all their eggs in one particular basket.

A week ago, Alabama hosted 5-star guard Brandon McCoy on a surprise visit. Big visits are becoming a weekly occurrence right now for Oats and the Crimson Tide.

Here's a running list of the prospects who have visited Alabama basketball this fall, in order of when the visit occurred:

4-star G Ikenna Alozie
5-star SG Caleb Holt
5-star PG Dylan Mingo
5-star SF Jaxon Richardson
4-star SF Cole Cloer
4-star PF/C Darius Ratliff
4-star PF/C Adonis Ratliff
5-star CG Brandon McCoy