Alabama Lands Commitment From 6-Foot-10 Center
Head coach Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball program from the top rope on Friday night.
According to Travis Branham of 247Sports, four-star center Collins Onyejiaka has committed to Alabama.
Alabama head coach Nate Oats.© Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
A fringe top 100 recruit in the class of 2026, Onyejiaka's commitment comes with a reclassification. Instead, he will join the Crimson Tide in 2025, fresh off an Elite 8 showing.
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This offseason, Alabama took to the transfer portal in hopes of replacing center Clifford Omoruyi. Oats and Company came away with Patriot League Player of the Year, Noah Williamson. The seven-foot center scored 17.6 points per game for the Bucknell Bison.
The addition of Onyejiaka will give Alabama options outside Williamson. Alongside Onyejiaka and Williamson, six-foot-eleven sophomore Aiden Sherrell will likely also be in the mix after scoring just 3.4 points per game as a first-year player in 2024.
Nevertheless, Alabama fans should temper expectations for Onyejiaka as a true freshman.
Adam Finkelstein, the director of scouting for 247Sports, says, "He misses a surprising amount of dunks for someone so physically dominant, isn't much of a scoring threat on the perimeter, and can lack solutions when not able to overpower the opposition."
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However, he does earn high praise as a post-defender and rim protector. He could find himself in the mix as a defensive anchor, especially with the war chest of offensive talent at the disposal of Oats.
Alabama returns Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Labaron Philon, and Houston Mallette next season. Wrightsell Jr. is the most notable after scoring 11.5 points per game last year before suffering a season-ending injury.
Related: Alabama Commit Continues Strong Elite 11 Performance on Thursday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
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