It was an eventful Monday for Alabama Football, no surprise given the massive upset at the hands of Vanderbilt on Saturday still demanding headlines as the Crimson Tide begins preparation for Saturday's matchup back in Tuscaloosa against South Carolina.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer and coordinators Kane Wommack and Nick Sheridan met with the media on Monday, offering up comments about Saturday's loss and looking forward to the matchup with South Carolina.
In the middle of the press conference, the biggest news of the day broke:
Jehiem Oatis opting out, to enter transfer portal
ESPN's Pete Thamel broke the news during the press conference that junior defensive lineman Jehiem Oatis would be opting out to preserve his redshirt and entering the transfer portal following the season.
Alabama junior DT Jehiem Oatis plans to redshirt and enter the NCAA transfer portal, he told ESPN. Oatis started 13 games his first two years and was a Top 40 recruit. He said the reason for leaving is playing time, as he played 25 total snaps against Georgia and Wisconsin. pic.twitter.com/pksgmAWsGY
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 7, 2024
Many Alabama fans were curious as to why they didn't see Oatis in the game against Vanderbilt, and why he had seemingly been getting less and less snaps each week.
Oatis came to Alabama with high expectations, and was a force as a freshman starting 10 games. His development, some of which has been due to various injuries, stalled, though, and he started only three games this season. Over the last two games he played in against Wisconsin and Georgia, Oatis totaled only 25 snaps.
Playing time is the main impetus for Oatis' decision, per Thamel. DeBoer commented on his decision in his press conference:
"I felt like it was going that way," said DeBoer in regards to Oatis entering the portal. "There's other elements, there's health elements, there's life elements. We move forward with the guys that are able to help us win and are focused on our program."
Oatis decision doesn't seem to have caught anyone within the program off guard, but it's a blow to the defensive line depth overall. The Crimson Tide has enough depth up front, but you can never truly have enough.
Malachi Moore will not face a suspension from DeBoer
Earlier on Monday, fifth year senior safety Malachi Moore released a statement about his actions at the end of the Vanderbilt game.
DeBoer was asked about the possibility of further discipline for Moore, including a possible suspension, during his press conference.
DeBoer said firmly, "no", when asked about a possible suspension, and commented that Moore "has gone above and beyond in taking ownership of it."
I know some people wanted to see DeBoer drop the hammer on Moore, but I enjoyed hearing him go to bat for his player, something that will likely unite the locker room behind their coach even more.
Kickoff time announced for Third Saturday in October
The kickoff time was announced for Alabama's third Saturday in October date with Tennessee in Knoxville for October 19th.
The Tide and Volunteers will face off on ABC at 2:30 PM CT with Georgia and Texas getting the prime-time ABC game that evening.
The losses suffered to unranked teams by both Alabama and Tennessee this past week likely made the decision a lot easier on which game should get the primetime ABC treatment. Georgia and Texas was always going to be tough to ignore from a ratings perspective, but a pair of undefeated rivals facing off would have made the decision tougher for ABC executives.
Alabama close to flipping North Carolina commit
On3 recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong logged an RPM (Recruiting Prediction Machine) pick for Alabama to flip 3-star North Carolina tight end commitment Marshall Pritchett.
Pritchett was on campus for the Alabama-Georgia game, and the staff has made him a priority target. Pritchett might just be a three-star, but he holds an impressive list of offers that includes Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Miami, Michigan, and Florida State.
Alabama has made finding a second tight end in this class a priority to join 4-star Kaleb Edwards.