Nate Oats pulls a stunner with the addition of 7-footer to Alabama's 2026-27 roster

When 4-star guard Anderson Diaz reclassified into the 2026 class to join Alabama's roster immediately, it appeared that Nate Oats had landed the final piece to next season's roster for the Crimson Tide.

But Oats and lead assistant Preston Murphy are always moving in the shadows to shore up any potential weakness.

This was already going to be Oats' biggest roster to date in Tuscaloosa, with a recruiting class littered with wings all 6-foot-6 and taller, along with the Transfer Portal additions of a tall wing in Cole Cloer and three big men in Brandon Garrison, Jamarion Davis-Fleming, and Drew Fielder. Alabama also brought back both Keitenn Bristow and Collins Onyejiaka from last season, giving the Crimson Tide significant frontcourt depth.

Alabama just added another piece of depth.

18-year-old Canadian big man TJ St. Louis committed to Alabama on Monday and plans to join the Crimson Tide this fall, according to On3's Joe Tipton:

Alabama adds 7-foot Canadian big man TJ St. Louis to the 2026-27 roster

There's little available information about St. Louis. He didn't even have an On3 or 247 profile as of his commitment to the Crimson Tide this afternoon.

He's listed as 7 feet and 266 pounds. His highlights were shared by Tipton below:

He's roughly the same weight as Onyejiaka, but doesn't seem to have the same athleticism at this point. He's slower and more plodding, and will probably need to add strength or drop a little bit of weight before he can be relied upon to play legitimate minutes in meaningful games.

But Oats has learned in recent seasons that you can't have enough depth in the frontcourt. It has been Alabama's biggest Achilles' heel recently, forcing them to play guys out of position consistently.

And St. Louis is certainly a big body. He's a 7-footer with a 7'5 wingspan and a 9'5 standing reach.

Last year, Aiden Sherrell was the only true center on the roster with Onyejiaka's heart condition. That won't be the case any longer.

Along with Onyejiaka and St. Louis, Alabama has true bigs in Garrison, Davis-Fleming, Fielder, and Bristow. There won't be cause for guards/wings like Amari Allen or London Jemison to have to log minutes in the frontcourt.

Oats has had success with Canadian players in the past. Both Charles Bediako and Josh Primo came through that pipeline before arriving in Tuscaloosa and carving out success.

Perhaps St. Louis will join them, though it's likely that it'll be a year or two down the road before we find that out for sure.

This is one of those fliers that makes a lot of sense considering the expansion to a 15-man scholarship limit and the five-in-five rule that allows every player five years of eligibility with no redshirts any longer. Alabama can take a year to assess St. Louis in practice and see if he's worth the continued investment.

If he's not, both parties can move on. No harm, no foul.

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