Alabama basketball’s September visitor list puts a clear emphasis on shooting, with three 2027 prospects scheduled to spend time in Tuscaloosa this month.
The group includes combo guards Chase Lumpkin and Devin Cleveland, along with shooting guard RJ Moore. Each one brings perimeter skill, and that fits the direction Alabama appears to be taking as it builds toward future rosters.
For Nate Oats and his staff, the pitch is about more than just a visit. Alabama can point to a $54.6 million practice facility, six straight NCAA Tournament appearances and a recent run of first-round picks, including Philadelphia 76ers guard Labaron Philon. In a recruiting landscape shaped by NIL and the House Settlement, that kind of track record matters.
Lumpkin, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard from McEachern in Georgia, is ranked No. 26 nationally, No. 6 at his position and No. 3 in Georgia by the 247Sports composite. He will be in Tuscaloosa when Alabama football opens the season against East Carolina on Saturday, Sept.
- He also took official visits to Michigan and USC over the summer.
Recruiters are drawn to his 6-8 wingspan and his work as a volume shooter, and he made 32% of his threes on the EYBL circuit. He is still young for his class and won’t turn 18 until June 2027.
Cleveland, a 6-3, 165-pound guard from La Lumiere in Indiana, is set to visit Alabama the weekend of Sept. 18.
That will be the first stop on his college tour. He is also scheduled to visit TCU on Sept.
24, Missouri on Oct. 3 and Michigan on Nov. 6.
The Chicago native has built his reputation on perimeter touch, hitting 47% of his shots on the EYBL circuit. He is also praised for his footwork and his ability to create for others, but the shooting is what stands out most.
Moore, a 6-6, 190-pound shooting guard from Ambassador Christian in North Carolina, is ranked No. 46 nationally, No. 11 at his position and No. 1 in the state by the 247Sports composite. Alabama will be his final college stop.
The Charlotte native, who shares a hometown with Crimson Tide guard Aden Holloway, also has visits lined up for Rutgers on Sept. 3, Vanderbilt on Sept. 10 and Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on Sept.
- His recruitment reflects Alabama’s clear target on future rosters: players who can knock down shots.
Scouts like his ability to hit tough threes, though they do have questions about how much he can provide when he is not scoring from deep because of his lack of physicality around the rim.
In Other News...
Ryan Coleman-Williams Enters A Defining Alabama Season With One New Focus
Ryan Coleman-Williams heads into his junior season at Alabama with a different voice guiding the wide receivers, and that matters for a player trying to keep building on a productive year. Derrick Nix takes over the group this fall, giving Coleman-Williams a fresh set of eyes as he prepares for an important stretch in Tuscaloosa after putting up 689 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 49 catches last season.
For Coleman-Williams, the timing adds weight to every rep. He is eligible to enter the NFL Draft after this season, and he has already talked with Nix about the coaching changes and the areas he wants to sharpen. With a new receiver coach in place and a pro decision looming, Alabama will be watching closely to see how he handles a season that could define the next step in his career. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Enters Season With Its Toughness Under Fire
A familiar preseason spotlight has landed on Alabama again, and this one is less about star power than about edge. With Kalen DeBoer entering the season under pressure to get the Tide moving in the right direction, the outside conversation has already started to circle around how this team looks when the competition tightens and the margins shrink.
The schedule will do plenty to shape that answer, with difficult road trips and key home dates against SEC opponents that should reveal plenty about where Alabama stands. For a program that measures itself by how it handles physical football, the question hanging over this season is whether the Tide can turn that scrutiny into something sharper on the field. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Gained A Roster Opening Alabama Fans Need To Watch
A federal ruling has opened the door for a wave of roster movement across the SEC, and LSU appears positioned to be one of the first programs to test it. Judge William Jorden granted an injunction making more than 40 athletes eligible for NCAA and SEC competition, a group that includes former NFL players Zxavian Harris and DaeQuan Wright, creating an immediate wrinkle for teams in the league that have spent the offseason building with the old rules in mind.
For Alabama, the significance goes beyond LSU simply gaining more bodies. Any added depth in Baton Rouge changes the competitive picture, and it comes at a time when the SEC is already preparing to push back hard. The league plans to appeal the ruling and has filed a separate lawsuit aimed at enforcing new punishments against teams that add former professional players, leaving the issue far from settled as roster decisions begin to play out. [Read more 🡒]
