Rylan Griffen Going into the Transfer Portal is a Shocker

In today's world of the transfer portal nothing is that surprising, but Rylan Griffen putting his name into the transfer portal honestly is a shocker. After a very successful sophomore season including being a major piece in Alabama's historic run to the Final Four, most everyone had him as being one of the stars of next year's basketball team. Honestly, I think I'd have been less shocked if he had put his name into the NBA draft.

In his time in Tuscaloosa, Griffen started 33 games and averaged over 11 points a game during his sophomore campaign. He improved his stats in the NCAA tournament, averaging over 13 points a game which included shooting over 50% from the field over the five-game run in March.

You have to wonder if he had plans of doing this for awhile, or if this was a spur of the moment decision for Griffen. Before this news broke, of course, the biggest concern going into the off-season was what big men could Nate Oats bring in from the transfer portal. Now, finding a possible replacement for Griffen out of the portal becomes the new biggest focus in addition to adding to the five-spot on the team.

It will be interesting to see where he ends up, as I am sure there will be many interested suitors across the country, and even more so how Griffen possibly leaving Tuscaloosa may impact others who could be on the way out such as Mark Sears, Latrell Wrightsell, and Grant Nelson.

With all the recent success the Tide has had under Coach Nate Oats and his offensive-friendly system, finding pieces in the portal this off-season should only become easier than ever before. This is a very exciting time in Alabama Basketball history, and despite the shock of the transfer portal news, I am confident this is only a small roadblock that will be hurdled sooner than later.