Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats is hot on the recruiting trail after landing two commitments and hosting three more top prospects over the weekend.
A disappointing 85-65 loss to Duke in the Elite Eight sealed the 2024-25 season for the Crimson Tide in March, but that won’t put a stop to Oats’ strong recruiting efforts.
Oats and company landed a commitment from 4-star Chris Washington Jr. on Monday and followed that up with a commitment from 4-star Tarris Bouie on Wednesday.
But Oats didn’t stop there. He also secured an elite trio of visitors over the weekend, consisting of two 5-stars and another top-25 player.
With two commitments in just a few days, Alabama immediately earned the No. 3 spot in the class of 2026 recruiting rankings, and there’s still opportunity for another jump.
Chris Washington Jr., wing
Washington is currently rated as the No. 1 prospect out of Tennessee and committed to the Crimson Tide fresh off a visit on Sept. 6, when he also got the chance to watch Alabama football’s 73-0 blowout of Louisana-Monroe.
His first visit in February was unofficial. Alabama was the only school that he’s visited between the visit in February and the visit on Sept. 6.
At 6-foot-8 and 185 pounds as a small forward, Washington excels in the post by gathering rebounds, finishing around the rim and making strong dunks. He can also shoot the three, and all of that combined is an exact player profile that Oats favors, making Washington a perfect fit for the Crimson Tide.
Washington knows that, and that’s why he committed.
“I just feel like I fit their play style,” Washington said.
He added that he believes Oats can develop him and turn him into a pro-level player.
His commitment immediately gave Alabama the No. 7-ranked recruiting class, and it was just two days later that the Crimson Tide found itself with a top-3 class.
Tarris Bouie, wing
Alabama then landed a commitment from a second small forward, with Bouie committing to the Crimson Tide on Wednesday.
Bouie, like Washington, was in town for Alabama’s win against Louisiana-Monroe. He also visited Tuscaloosa in February and hasn’t visited any other school since then.
He’s a bit smaller than Washington at 6-foot-5 and 170 pounds, but he also has great athleticism and ability to make plays all over the court. His talents have earned him a rating as a 4-star and the No. 52 player in the nation.
Marquette and Missouri have also been heavily involved in Bouie’s recruitment, but Oats and the Crimson Tide ultimately won the battle after he arrived in Tuscaloosa for his official visit.
After a successful weekend of visits, Oats made another attempt to increase the Crimson Tide’s success early on the recruiting trail for 2026.
What’s next
Oats secured three top players for visits over the weekend:
- Shooting guard Caleb Holt, No. 4 player nationally
- Point guard Dylan Mingo, No. 5 player nationally
- Small forward Jaxon Richardson, No. 21 player nationally
Holt is probably the most important prospect for the Crimson Tide as of now, and not just because he’s ranked as a 5-star and as a top 5 player in the nation.
He is also a Huntsville native and thus an in-state prospect, which may give Alabama a decent advantage in his recruitment.
Mingo is from New York, and he’s also a 5-star. Recently he’s taken visits to Connecticut and Miami, and considering proximity to home, UConn may have the leverage.
But if Alabama could land Holt or Mingo relatively soon, then one of them might be able to recruit the other and create a powerful duo for the Crimson Tide in the future.
Richardson is a 4-star small forward but is still ranked as a top-25 player in the nation. As of now, Miami, Ole Miss and Michigan have been fairly involved in his recruitment.
But he is a Las Vegas native, and USC has shown interest as well. Alabama just landed two commitments from small forwards, so it’ll be interesting to see how his recruitment plays out.
