Miami transfer Jalil Bethea down to four, set to announce commitment Sunday

Miami Hurricanes transfer guard Jalil Bethea is down to four schools, he announced Saturday night via Instagram. A return to Coral Gables is still on the table but Alabama, Kansas State, and NC State are fighting for his commitment from the outside. Four big-time programs for one of the NCAA transfer portal‘s top names.

Additionally, Bethea will be making his final decision on Sunday afternoon. Reports initially emerged of Bethea taking trips to Alabama and NC State following the recruiting dead period. Something has changed as his 2025-2026 home will be revealed.

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Bethea played high school basketball at Warminster (PA) Archbishop Wood, where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 6 overall recruit in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

“It is the scoring with Jalil Bethea that you walk away talking about,” On3’s Jamie Shaw said in a scouting report. “He scores it in an efficient manner at each level of the floor. He has a good frame, nice length, positional size, and a projectable frame. Bethea is a good athlete and has some quick-twitch and straight-line burst when he is heading toward the rim. His jump shot form is good – albeit his release can be inconsistent at times – he knocks down shots off the catch (off movement) and off the bounce.

“His handle is at its best when he plays within two or three dribbles, would like to see him tighten things up beyond that. He can be a good defender, with the length and the athleticism, would like to see him continue to stay engaged on that end. He plays with a lot of confidence and has a smooth demeanor about him. Shot 40.8% from three and averaged 1.17 point per possession for Team Final during Nike’s EYBL Circuit.”

Unfortunately, the recruiting hype did not match the freshman season production. Bethea played in 31 games but averaged just 7.1 points per game while shooting 36.8% from the field and 32.6% from three. If there is a positive sign, making over 80% of his free throw attempts is one.

Either way, major programs are still willing to bring him into their program for the coming years. Exactly which one wins out will be revealed on Sunday afternoon.