Alabama injury updates: Nate Oats reveals three Crimson Tide players battling issues

Alabama is riding high off the Crimson Tide’s first-ever appearance in the Final Four last season. However, entering preseason camp, there’s a trio of injuries that they’re dealing with.

Nate Oats closed his opening comments at his preview press conference Thursday with injury updates on three key contributors for the Crimson Tide.

Oats started with the most significant as Chris Youngblood, a transfer addition from USF, underwent a procedure on his ankle following an injury that will keep him out of non-conference play this season.

“Chris Youngblood had an ankle injury. Dr. Waldrop, who’s arguably the best foot and ankle specialist in the country, operated on him,” Oats said of Youngblood. “We’re expecting him to be 100% by conference play and we’ll have to see how recovery goes.

“He’s one of the hardest-working kids that I’ve ever known,” Oats added. “He’s in the middle of every drill kind of as an assistant coach. Mentally, he’s going to be there and he’s going to know what we’re doing.”

This will be Youngblood’s fifth season as a graduate after three at Kennesaw State and one at South Florida. In that collegiate career, he has averaged 14.2 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 45.2% from the field and 39.4% from three. That included his lone season in Tampa where he was Co-AAC Player of the Year with career-best stats at 15.3 ppg. and 2.1 assists on 45.8% overall and 41.6% from deep. With that, he was their second-highest rated portal addition as a Top-20 SF and the No. 70 overall player.

From there, Oats noted matters involving two of their four freshmen in Derrion Reid and Naas Cunningham. Both were Top-50 recruits and four-star prospects in their No. 3 ranked class. They’re each now dealing with more minor matters with them planning to be back in time for their first preseason game, if not beforehand, on October 18th.

“Derrion Reid has got a hand injury. You know, he’s kind of more week-to-week,” said Oats. “We expect him to be back before the Wake Forest exhibition game.

“Then Naas Cunningham has got a groin injury. He’s more day-to-day,” Oats added. “He may be back even by the end of the week.”

That’s three players for ‘Bama with three varying levels of injuries that they’re dealing with. Alabama is now focusing on getting each of them as ready as they can be for the season.

“Those are the three guys that, you know, as you were watching practice that were not participating,” said Oats. “They’re all, you know, on their own timetable but we’ll make sure that they’re back and healthy before we throw them back in.”