Jumbo Package: Nate Oats lands a big commit, Kalen DeBoer throws some shade

Happy Friday, everyone. The Alabama women rolled over Tennessee in SEC Tournament play last night, which is always something to celebrate. Next up, 4th-ranked Texas.

Alabama women’s basketball is trying to continue its stay in South Carolina with another SEC Tournament game on Friday, March 6.

The No. 25 Crimson Tide (23-9) will continue its SEC Tournament journey in the night’s late game against 3-seed Texas The game tips at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network. It’s the third game in as many days for the 11-seeded Crimson Tide.

Alabama got its 10th ever win over Tennessee, 76-64, on Thursday. Jessica Timmons had 23 points, and Ta’Mia Scott scored 20 points in the win. Alabama will get Texas for the second time in a week after falling 72-65 on March 1 to end the regular season.

As the score would indicate, the Tide proved that they could compete with Texas not long ago. A win here probably bumps them up a seed line.

Nate Oats landed a big fish yesterday.

Richardson is ranked as the 247Sports composite’s No. 27 overall player in the 2026 class. He’s listed as the No. 10 small forward in the group.

247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein raved about Richardson’s athleticism in his scouting report.

“​​Richardson is one of the truly elite athletes in the national class,” Finkelstein wrote in his assessment. “He has very long arms and is arguably the single most explosive leaper in high school basketball. He can make momentum changing plays above the rim virtually every time he takes the court, whether that be in transition, catching lobs, or with putback dunks. He also has a defined and functionally strong frame and soft natural hands.”

Richardson is a huge addition to the class, which now ranks in the top 5 nationally. Oats is still in hot pursuit of five-star Alabama native Caleb Holt, but most seem to think that Arizona leads there. Richardson’s dad is a NBA Slam Dunk champion who played 14 seasons in the league.

“Personally, going through this process myself and having my wife by my side for most of that journey, especially now in the NIL era, we’ve always taught our kids that basketball decisions should be about basketball, not money or anything else. This was solely Jaxon’s decision,” Richardson wrote.

Before going to the pros, Richardson won a national title with Michigan State, where he played from 1999-2001.

“He chose a place where he feels comfortable, where he believes he can win, develop, and have a great college career. As his dad, I couldn’t be any prouder to see him make a decision based on those things. #RollTide,” Richardson continued.

Ryan Williams is now Ryan Coleman-Williams and will be wearing number 1 this season.

One of Alabama football’s best-known players has a new number, and a new addition to his name. The Crimson Tide’s rising junior receiver will be known as Ryan Coleman-Williams in 2026, UA’s NIL collective announced on Friday.

Coleman-Williams, who added his mother Tiffany Coleman’s last name to the front of his own, will wear No. 1 as well. He donned No. 2 for the first two seasons of his Alabama career.

The Saraland product is no stranger to his new number. He wore No. 1 in high school, on his way to becoming a five-star recruit.

While play on the field is what matters, a reset sometimes isn’t the worst thing psychologically.

You will be surprised to learn that people are writing about Alabama’s quarterback situation.

The Alabama Crimson Tide has one of the most consequential QB battles in the country. Kalen DeBoer’s future, not to mention the school’s relevance in the NIL/rev-share era, hinges on the Tide getting this right.

In one corner, you have Austin Mack, who followed DeBoer from the Washington Huskies to Alabama in 2024. After sitting a year in Seattle behind Michael Penix Jr., and then sitting for two years in Tuscaloosa behind Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson, Mack is at the progression checkpoint where he should be starting.

Whether he should over former Duncanville, Texas, star Keelon Russell is another question. While 2025 was a major leap season for Mack, Russell comes in with superstar stats from the Lone Star State’s 6A division: 4,177 yards and 55 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions during his senior season on a 70% completion rate.

Alabama has four scholarship quarterbacks on its roster for 2026:

Austin Mack (Redshirt Junior)
Keelon Russell (Redshirt Freshman)
Jett Thomalla (Freshman)
Tayden Kaawa (Freshman)

While all four will compete in 2026, the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback for 2026 will come from one of two veterans: Austin Mack and Keelon Russell. Both competed against former Alabama starting quarterback Ty Simpson before the 2025 season, with Simpson ultimately winning the job in fall camp, never relinquishing it until he cracked his rib against the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. Mack stepped in for the injured Simpson and spent the 2025 season as Alabama’s listed backup quarterback, with Russell listed as the third-string.

Last, Kalen DeBoer threw some serious shade at Lane Kiffin.

In fact, DeBoer told Bama Online this week that he never even talked to another program.

“I never talked to anyone. Not once. I didn’t talk to anyone,” said DeBoer to BamaOnLine. “I was here at Alabama, and I don’t know how I could talk to someone and look my team in the eye when I get in front of them each and every day when we’re in the middle of a playoff run.”

The last part of that quote is extremely interesting considering what went down with Kiffin last November.

I like this version of DeBoer.

That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.

Roll Tide.