Nate Oats subs one 5-star visitor for another as pivotal weekend approaches

This might be the biggest recruiting weekend in Alabama basketball history. And no, that's not hyperbole.

Nate Oats has built some serious recent momentum on the recruiting trail as he begins his major push for the 2026 class.

On Monday, Alabama landed a commitment from 4-star wing Chris Washington Jr., a Top-40 overall player in the 2026 class. A commitment also seems imminent from 4-star wing Tarris Bouie, with a prediction coming in for him to land in the Tide's class just a couple hours after Washington's commitment.

Both Washington and Bouie took official visits to Alabama last weekend.

If Oats and company have the same success with the official visitors this weekend, then Alabama is going to sign the No. 1 class in the country in the 2026 cycle.

Top target Caleb Holt - the No. 3 overall player in the class per the 247 composite - moved his visit from the first weekend of October to this weekend yesterday. Holt is the top target on Alabama's board, and Oats and assistant Preston Murphy have made the Alabama native a huge priority for several years now.

Holt is one of three 5-star visitors this weekend. He'll be joined by 5-star wing Jaxon Richardson, the son of former NBA star Jason Richardson. Initially, the third 5-star was point guard Deron Rippey, but his visit was cancelled and ultimately replaced with an even bigger fish.

Rippey is out, Dylan Mingo is in, per Joe Tipton:

Dylan Mingo and Caleb Holt would be a dream backcourt for Alabama

It won't be easy to pull off - both Mingo and Holt are heavily coveted and will generate monstrous NIL offers - but Oats has raised Alabama's national profile in basketball so much that it's not totally crazy to fantasize about landing two top-five prospects in the same class.

Mingo is a big point guard at 6-foot-5, and one of the younger players in the class. He won't even turn 17 until this October, meaning he would play his entire freshman season of college at just 18 years old.

Below is his scouting report from 247 Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein:

"Mingo is a big guard with length, versatility, natural feel for the game, and an ability to get wherever he wants with the ball in his hands. He has a tight handle, can break his defender down with combo-moves, navigate a crowded lane instinctively, make reads out of ball-screens, utilize both hands, and create for himself and others. He is also a terrific perimeter rebounder (7.6 per game), very disruptive defender (2 steals), and simultaneously capable of guarding multiple positions.

While he has very good size and length at over 6-foot-4 with a better than 6-foot-10 wingspan, he’s a bit bow-legged and thus doesn’t always cover the court with a smooth gate. He can occasionally be nonchalant with the ball, which contributes to a relatively high turnover rate (2.8 assists vs. 2.5 turnovers), but the biggest swing skill is his shooting. He made just 23% of his threes in 13 EYBL games and has somewhat unorthodox mechanics, beginning with his catch and load into the shot."

Adam Finkelstein

Oats runs a very guard-friendly system, and each cycle, the top guards in high school and the Transfer Portal give serious consideration to coming to Tuscaloosa to play for him.

Alabama may not have the same NIL funds as some of the basketball powerhouses, but there's no doubt that they would put both Mingo and Holt in a position to shine. The Tide's recent run of success on the hardwood also ensures that they will get the opportunity to play deep into March, and perhaps even early April.

While Alabama fans will be focused on this weekend's football game against Wisconsin, Oats is working in the shadows, looking to put together the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.