Alabama’s roster has no shortage of names drawing attention this season, but a couple of players are still flying a little below the radar. With the regular season closing in, two sleepers stand out on the Crimson Tide’s 2026-27 team: freshman guard London Jemison and forward Keitenn Bristow.
Jemison, who reclassified from the 2027 class, has already had a rough month. He suffered an elbow injury before Alabama’s preseason opener against Furman, and Nate Oats said at the time that he would be out for about a month.
That kept him out of the exhibition wins over Ole Miss and Auburn. Based on Oats’ Oct. 8 timeline, a month later would put Jemison in line to be available for the Oakland game on Nov. 9, which would be the third game of the regular season.
His path into the rotation could matter because Alabama’s emphasis this year is clearly centered on forwards and bigs, and Jemison is one of just three players under 6-foot-6. That leaves the Tide a little thin in true guard depth, which means he could be asked to bring the ball up when he comes off the bench.
The nickname says plenty: “Shifty.” And if his own description is any indication, the footwork and creativity should come with it.
"I would describe my game as a shifty, downhill guard who can get anywhere on the floor that he wants," Diaz said in a recent interview with Alabama. "As a player comp, I would say Kyrie Irving, just by the way I get in the paint, finish and create for my teammates."
If Jemison is the guard sleeper, Bristow looks like the forward who can sneak into a bigger role. At SEC Tipoff '27 in Birmingham on Oct. 13, BamaCentral asked Brandon Garrison to name a sleeper on the roster, and he pointed straight to Bristow.
"He's a hard worker," Garrison said. "He does all of the work that doesn't get rewarded, but it's going to show this year. He's been taking big steps, so I'm going to take my guy Keitenn."
Bristow’s return matters because he played in just 10 games in 2025-26 before a season-ending injury. Still, he made his presence felt in the Auburn scrimmage, finishing with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. He also earned the Hard Hat that night after piling up the most blue-collar points.
There’s plenty of competition at forward, but Bristow has the size and versatility to carve out a lane. Oats liked what he saw against Auburn, too.
"Keitenn's back playing hard, it was great," Oats said after the scrimmage. "I thought he's back doing stuff we need him to do.
Had four blocks, rebounded the ball really well. He was able to switch on defense.
He played almost 30 minutes tonight, so great to have him back. He's about the right stuff.
You can kind of play him at some three, four, some lineups."
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