Alabama’s season opener is almost here, and Nate Oats delivered the update Crimson Tide fans wanted most on Monday: Cole Cloer is trending toward playing, while Anderson Diaz still looks like a wait-and-see situation.
With Alabama set to host Sam Houston on Tuesday night in Coleman Coliseum, Oats said the freshman wing has made enough progress to be considered probable. Diaz, who has been sidelined by an elbow injury since practice during the preseason, is not expected to be ready.
“We’re still a little banged up; we’re not fully healthy,” Oats said. “Anderson (Diaz) and Cole (Cloer) are probably the two that we’re keeping an eye on most.
They’ve both been having an increased workload in practice. Based on today, and obviously I’ll have to get feedback from Clarke (Holter) after they get treatment today and tomorrow morning, my guess would be Cole is probable for tomorrow.
I would doubt that Anderson is ready to go yet. Clarke wants to make sure that his elbow is at full strength before we put him in there.”
Cloer missed Alabama’s final exhibition against Auburn because of a minor injury, but he had already flashed in the first two tune-ups. In wins over Furman and Ole Miss, he averaged 16 points per game, shot better than 40% from three and showed he can create off the dribble too.
That kind of offensive pop is why Cloer is already in the conversation to push sophomore London Jemison for a starting wing spot. The bigger question for him, at least early on, is how quickly his defense catches up.
Diaz, meanwhile, has yet to make his Alabama debut. He missed all three exhibition games after hurting his elbow in practice, but he remains one of the more intriguing freshmen in Oats’ latest group of newcomers. Originally a 5-star recruit in the 2027 class, Diaz reclassified into the 2026 cycle and arrived a year early.
If he gets healthy soon, Alabama has a role waiting for him. Oats figures to lean on Diaz as a bench piece and the tertiary ball-handler behind Amari Allen and Aden Holloway.
That matters even more with Holloway unavailable for both games while serving a five-game suspension. Alabama’s next chance to get Diaz on the floor after Tuesday comes Friday against Arkansas State, also at Coleman Coliseum.
For now, the Tide are close to full strength, even if they’re not quite there yet. Oats has built real depth, and Alabama appears to be inching toward it just in time for the games that count.
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