Derrion Reid injury update: Nate Oats reveals status of Alabama forward vs. Florida

On Tuesday, Alabama head coach Nate Oats told reporters Derrion Reid will be unavailable for the Crimson Tide’s showdown against No. 5 Florida on Wednesday, per CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. Reid hasn’t played since February 15 due to a hamstring injury.

Reid has missed time due to his hamstring injury twice this season. He also missed time recovering from the injury between Jan. 11 and Jan. 29.

Reid is averaging 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game this season while shooting 43.6% from the field. Alabama fans had high expectations for Reid entering the 2024-25 campaign.

He was a No. 16 overall player and No. 6 small forward in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Although Derrion Reid hasn’t been able to find a rhythm this season before suffering another setback, Nate Oats is confident the 6-foot-8 forward has a bright future.

“Derrion’s one of our best positional size, athletic defenders. And he’s done very good jobs on different guys when he’s been healthy,” Oats said. “It would be great to have him. … It’s hard not getting the reps, and he’s missed maybe 35, 36 percent of our practice reps this year.

“I think he’s going to be a pro. He came in as a McDonald’s All-American, he’s got all the intangibles as far as tough, great attitude, high IQ, he’s athletic. A lot of the stuff the pros are looking for. We really don’t want to hurt his long-term career by rushing something to win a game or two. We’re trying to do what’s right by him.”

Alabama and Florida will square off at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The game will air live on ESPN2. This is the first time the two SEC juggernauts have met this season.

The Crimson Tide are hungry for a win after suffering a 79-76 loss to Tennessee on Saturday. Alabama fell after Volunteers guard Jahmai Mashack drained a deep 3-pointer as time expired.

In the loss, Alabama shot just 41.7% from the field and committed 12 turnovers, which Tennessee converted into 20 points. Chris Youngblood particularly struggled, only scoring two points compared to his 10.2-point-per-game average.

The Crimson Tide will need more from the senior guard if they want to take down the Gators, who are coming off a stunning 89-70 blowout win against Texas A&M. If Alabama is lucky, it will emerge victorious on Wednesday and return Reid to the lineup for the SEC Tournament.