While everyone has been waiting on Alabama to add a guard to its 2026-27 roster, with the futures of both Amari Allen and Aden Holloway still up in the air, Nate Oats and Preston Murphy were moving stealthily for one of its top 2027 targets.
4-star guard Anderson Diaz from the Bronx, the No. 29 overall player in the 247 composite for the 2027 class, quietly visited Tuscaloosa this week. On Thursday morning, he announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide:
NEWS: Anderson Diaz, the No. 29 overall recruit in the class of 2027, has committed to Alabama, sources tell @247Sports.
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) May 21, 2026
Dynamic and creative guard averaging 20.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 4.6 APG with the @NYRhoops this spring. || Story: https://t.co/EKPorhjXQt pic.twitter.com/5HdNWhhfE1
Diaz, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard, is the type of elite scoring guard that Oats always covets.
Diaz has had a strong all-around showing during the Nike EYBL circuit this spring, averaging over 20 points per game to go along with four rebounds and four assists. He's done that while shooting above 40% from three-point range.
Anderson Diaz could be a reclassification candidate for Alabama
While Diaz is a 2027 recruit, there have been some rumblings about him potentially eyeing a reclass into the 2026 class. If that's true, then Oats and Murphy just found the guard that fans have been clamoring for.
He's good enough to reclass and play a role for the Crimson Tide next season. Even if Allen exits the NBA Draft and returns to Alabama, and Aden Holloway works out his legal troubles and can play again, a Diaz reclass would still make some sense.
In that scenario, anything Alabama got from him would be a bonus. He would be under no pressure to play immediate minutes, but he could sit back and learn from those two while preparing to take the reins as a sophomore or even a redshirt freshman.
If he remains in the 2027 class, this is still a heck of a start to that class for Oats and company. Since arriving at Alabama, Oats has consistently landed elite high school classes.
Composite recruiting rankings for Alabama:
2021: 14th
2022: 4th
2023: 17th
2024: 2nd
2025: 11th
2026: 12th
If Diaz jumps into the 2026 class, it will kick the Tide's recent signing class up a notch. That currently includes a three-man haul of talented wings in Qayden Samuels, Jaxon Richardson, and Tarris Bouie. NC State transfer Cole Cloer isn't included, but really should be. He enrolled with the Wolfpack in January after suffering a season-ending injury during his senior season. He wasn't eligible to play, so he took a redshirt to rehab at the college level before transferring following Will Wade's departure. Cloer was once a Top 30 recruit in the 2026 class.
After focusing on wings in the 2026 class, 2027 always figured to be a year Oats would make a bigger push for guards. Regardless of Holloway's legal outcome, he's entering his senior season. The potential five-in-five rule could allow him an additional season after this year, but developing another guard is paramount.
Oats runs a guard-driven system. He's recruited the position at a high level, while also develping mulitple first round picks. He's about to add another next month with Labaron Philon, who might be his most impressive development to date.
Perhaps Diaz could be next in line, regardless of which class he ends up in.
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