Nate Oats kept Alabama’s recruiting run rolling Sunday, as the Crimson Tide added a third Top 100 prospect in the 2027 class with the commitment of 4-star big man Yohane Kabongo.
Kabongo, ranked No. 91 overall in the composite rankings, picked Alabama over SEC competition from Mississippi State and Tennessee. The 6-foot-9 center is listed as a top-80 overall recruit in the 2027 class, and his pledge gives Oats another major piece after the Tide already landed 5-star PF Zion Green and 5-star combo guard Chase Lumpkin.
Kabongo brings a different kind of presence to the class. He’s not a towering traditional center, but he does have a 7-foot-2 wingspan and the kind of athleticism that stands out right away. His build has been compared to Brandon Garrison and Jamarion Davis-Fleming, and that kind of profile fits what Alabama has been moving toward defensively.
The Tide have shifted to a more switch-heavy approach after years of playing drop coverage, and Kabongo looks like the sort of big man that system needs. He can move his feet and survive in one-on-one situations against guards, which makes him a clean fit for what Oats wants on that end of the floor.
There’s also a roster angle here. Alabama currently has two developmental bigs on the roster in Collins Onyejiaka and TJ St.
Louis, but keeping both through the 2027-28 season seems unlikely, especially since neither is part of the rotation this year. Adding another long-term frontcourt project makes sense.
For Oats, this is another example of how he keeps stacking elite classes in Tuscaloosa. The trio of Lumpkin, Green and Kabongo gives Alabama an impressive three-man haul, and it may be the final move for the 2027 class unless a surprise reclass candidate shows up in the spring as Oats sorts through spots for next season’s roster.
The success is familiar by now. Oats has repeatedly pulled in high-level classes at Alabama, and he’s done it while the program isn’t near the top of the country or the SEC in spending. He has a knack for getting players to buy into his system, and he does it with a staff that knows how to close.
Assistant coach Preston Murphy has been a key part of that formula, building the relationships while Oats finishes the job. Together, they’ve become one of the best recruiting duos in the country.
With Kabongo now in the fold, Alabama appears headed for a Top 10 class and could climb into the Top 5 in the short term. A three-player class may not stay near the very top all cycle, but Oats has clearly hit the target he was aiming for in 2027.
And there’s one more neat detail: Alabama hosted three official visitors this fall - Lumpkin, Green and Kabongo - and all three are now committed to the Crimson Tide. That’s about as efficient as it gets on the recruiting trail.
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