It was easy to connect the dots for Cruz Davis to Alabama when the Hofstra guard entered the Transfer Portal. He's a high-level scorer and elite three-point shooter (40% on 5.9 attempts per game in 2025-26).
There was also the obvious Hofstra-to-Alabama pipeline opened a few years ago when Nate Oats landed former Pride guard Aaron Estrada out of the portal. Davis always seemed like a solid "Plan B" at guard for the Crimson Tide, with "Plan A" being Furman's Alex Wilkins.
But now Davis is off the board, committing to Texas Tech while on a visit to Lubbock.
Now, Oats and Alabama will have to be as aggressive as possible to try to land Wilkins, and they'll have to stave off a Blue Blood in order to do it.
It could be an Alabama vs. Kentucky portal battle for Furman guard Alex Wilkins
Kentucky is aggressively pursuing Wilkins to pair him with Washington transfer Zoom Diallo. For Alabama, Wilkins would represent a perfect backcourt mate for Aden Holloway and a continued philosophy of getting bigger across the roster.
Wilkins is listed at 6-foot-5, capable of playing on or off-ball. Don't read too much into his 32.8% three-point shooting percentage as a negative. His usage was insanely high at Furman, and his corner three-point shooting percentage (46%) is a better indication of what he can do with open looks. Those open looks would come a lot more often in Alabama's system.
If Wilkins wants to play predominantly on-ball, Alabama might be the system for him, anyway. Kentucky won't be taking the ball out of Diallo's hands, and Oats can pitch the Labaron Philon role for Wilkins.
Even if Holloway is the listed point guard, he's more than capable - and arguably better - playing off-ball. He's one of the most deadly spot-up three-point shooters in the country, and Wilkins would generate a ton of open looks for him.
Obviously, there remains no guarantee that Holloway is going to be able to play next season. But the way Oats and the Crimson Tide are building the roster, it continues to point toward them believing he will be.
But his status being up in the air, and, along with Amari Allen still weighing an NBA Draft decision, puts finding a lead guard at the top of Oats' priority list in the Transfer Portal now.
Alabama won't outbid Kentucky for Wilkins, but it can pitch a better system, better coaching, and a bigger role for him in Tuscaloosa.
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