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Alabama has secured the commitment of Chris Youngblood via the NCAA transfer portal. The guard announced his decision to join the Crimson Tide for the upcoming season on his Instagram page on Saturday. This comes after spending a season at USF.
Youngblood emerged as a standout for the Bulls last season, leading the team with an average of 15.3 points per game and shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc. Additionally, he contributed 2.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.
His stellar performance earned him the title of AAC's Co-Player of the Year. This looks like a good addition to Nate Oat’s team, following the success of the previous season. However, fans were split on Chris Youngblood’s move to Tuscaloosa.
Some fans felt the move was the wrong one and would amount to nothing.
"Oh no son , you don’t want there," a fan wrote.
"Good pickup for bama. Will still lose to round of 64 runner up Auburn next year," another commented.
Nonetheless, Bama fans believe Youngblood is a big addition.
"Youngblood is gonna go hard on alabama jersey," an optimistic fan wrote.
"Bama bout to be loaded," commented another fan.
What does Chris Youngblood’s addition mean for Alabama?
Chris Youngblood's recruitment comes at an important time for Alabama. It follows the departure of two Crimson Tide guards, Davin Cosby and Rylan Griffen, who used the transfer portal. His entrance into the program quickly fills one of the voids left by the previous two exits.
With his valuable experience and scoring prowess, Youngblood is poised to seamlessly integrate into Alabama's offensive system, which prioritizes creating opportunities for shooters. He is expected to fit in almost immediately to the Crimson Tide style of play.
Following his performance for the USF Bulls last season, Youngblood is expected to play a significant role as a rotation player in the upcoming season. With his addition, Alabama's basketball scholarship count is now at the NCAA limit of 13 players.
Youngblood becomes the second transfer addition by the Crimson Tide this offseason after Houston Mallette, a guard from Pepperdine. The program might stay active in the portal if it experiences further departures.
A huge leap in Chris Youngblood’s career
The recent move to Alabama marks a huge leap in Chris Youngblood’s college basketball career. He started his college career at Kennesaw State, where he played three seasons. He started in over 60 games for the Owls and amassed a scoring total exceeding 1,000 points.
He then transferred to USF for the past season, where his contributions helped lead the Bulls to a regular-season title. He has one more year of eligibility for college basketball and hopes to make the most of it in Tuscaloosa.
