Alabama lands another key transfer out of the portal
One of the top available players in the NCAA Transfer Portal is coming home for the final stop of his collegiate career. USF transfer Chris Youngblood, a native of Tuscaloosa (Ala.), committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide during his weekend visit with the program.
Per On3’s Transfer Portal rankings, Youngblood is the No. 23 overall player remaining in the portal, and the fourth-ranked small forward. He was contacted by over 40 programs after entering the portal earlier this week, which included Creighton, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Ohio State, South Carolina, Texas, and more.
He had plenty of schools reach out and even scheduled multiple visits elsewhere, but Youngblood prioritized getting to Bama after a conversation with Nate Oats and Company on Thursday. Youngblood made his way back to T-Town to start his visit on Friday, and was sold on the program almost immediately.
Youngblood becomes the second transfer commitment for Alabama this year, joining Pepperdine transfer Houston Mallette (March 19 commitment).
This past season, Youngblood led USF with 15.3 points per game while shooting 41.6 percent from three-point range. In three consecutive seasons with at least 30 games played per year, Youngblood has shot over 40 percent from distance. He was named the AAC’s Co-Player of the Year for the 2023-2024 season.
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According to BOL’s Friday night intel on Youngblood’s visit, Oats and the staff made a big impression on Youngblood because of how well he’d fit into the offense. Last season, Alabama attempted 30 three-pointers per contest, with Youngblood averaging five shots from beyond the arc.
The Tide also connected on 37.3 percent of their three-point attempts. As such, Youngblood’s high percentage will be welcomed by the staff.
This weekend’s visit was also a homecoming of sorts for Youngblood’s parents. Youngblood’s father is from Tuscaloosa, with his mother being from Mobile and having attended the University of Alabama. Youngblood, however, played his high school ball at East Coweta HS in Georgia.
He would go on to sign with Kennesaw State, where he played for three seasons. Youngblood then transferred to USF after his head coach from KSU, Amir Abdur-Rahim, was hired by the Bulls. He had a no-contact tag last year as Youngblood was determined to go to USF.
With a COVID year left, Youngblood is expected to have a year of eligibility remaining at Alabama.
Stay tuned to BOL for more coverage from Youngblood’s commitment to the Crimson Tide.
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