Alabama fans will have to wait a little longer to see the debut of new big man Noah Williamson. The Bucknell transfer was a coveted player in the portal. He averaged 17.6 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game last season, winning the Patriot League Player of the Year.
He figures to play a critical role in Alabama's frontcourt, splitting minutes with sophomore Aiden Sherrell.
According to Nate Oats, Williamson is currently dealing with a minor knee injury, which is what caused him to miss the Crimson Tide's exhibition against Florida State on Thursday.
Nate Oats tells @UA_CTSN that Noah Williamson has a "minor knee injury" and will not play vs. FSU.
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) October 16, 2025
"He'll play the next exhibition (at Furman), is the plan," Oats said.
Alabama's Noah Williamson dealing with a minor knee injury
Williamson was an interesting addition for Oats in the Transfer Portal. He's not the traditional rim-protecting five that Oats has seemed to prefer in recent seasons with Cliff Omoruyi and Charles Bediako. He's a stretch-five, who played in a much slower-paced system at Bucknell than what he'll see in Tuscaloosa. Bucknell was 181st in the country in adjusted tempo last season; Alabama was 1st.
It was always assumed that he would take an adjustment period before he was able to play major minutes, and missing time in the preseason isn't optimal for that adjustment period.
Along with Williamson, Alabama is holding out guard Latrell Wrightsell from the scrimmage against the Seminoles at Boutwell. Wrightsell is still recovering from the torn Achilles Tendon he suffered in the Players Era Festival last year in Las Vegas. He is expected to be ready for the season opener against North Dakota in 18 days.
Miami (FL) transfer guard Jalil Bethea is out for Thursday's scrimmage, as expected. Bethea suffered a broken toe in practice and is expected to miss an extended period of time. There's no timetable yet for his return to the court.
Luckily for Alabama, aside from Bethea, the exhibition holdouts are more precautionary than anything. Oats mentioned that Williamson is likely to play in the Tide's next exhibition matchup, and Wrightsell mentioned recently that he was 90% sure he was going to play in that exhibition as well.