Speculating on players’ futures is not fun, but Monday’s redshirt announcements kickstarted numerous stay-or-go conversations. Programs are already preparing for the upcoming 2025 transfer portal cycle right now.
Not all of the redshirt candidates are created equally, but it’s clear that Depth Chart 101 was being taken into account during preseason scrimmages and practices.
Here are some notable names who opted to redshirt and save a year of eligibility.
Ty Rodgers, Illinois, two years of eligibility remaining: Rodgers started all 38 games last year for an Illini club that reached the Elite Eight. He was one of the lone returners for this new-look club, but his role was cloudy after the addition of five-star freshman Will Riley and Louisville transfer wing Tre White. Rodgers will not play for Illinois this season after representing the team at Big Ten Media Days.
The fallout is obvious. Illinois will lose Rodgers’ rim pressure, rebounding and defense, but this is a big bet on offense. White was ahead of Rodgers in the pecking order because he does a lot of the same things well but he’s a more-advanced shooter, and then Riley went out and went off for a 31-point evisceration of Eastern Illinois with a display of shot-making that’s hard to keep stapled on the bench. Rodgers’ decision solidifies that Illinois’ nine-man rotation will feature eight newcomers. It’s a very real possibility that Rodgers has played his last game in an Illinois uniform.
Jamari McDowell, Kansas, three years of eligibility remaining: Kansas redshirted Zach Clemence last year and he ended up staying, so McDowell could certainly follow that path. But McDowell was blocked for minutes behind Zeke Mayo, Dajuan Harris, AJ Storr, Shak Moore and Rylan Griffen. And then Diggy Coit was a late addition and seemed to pass him up, too.
Naas Cunningham, Alabama, four years of eligibility remaining: This is the cost of doing business when you accumulate maybe the deepest roster in the sport. Alabama redshirting a top-50 freshman makes all the sense in the world. We’ll see if Alabama can keep him in six months.
Houston Mallette, Alabama, one year of eligibility remaining: Landing Mallette, a dangerous shooter with real size, was one of Nate Oats’ first moves in the 2024 portal cycle. But the Pepperdine transfer missed a ton of time in the preseason, ramp-up process and fell behind others in Alabama’s loaded backcourt. But Alabama might be able to keep him. Mark Sears, Latrell Wrightsell and Chris Youngblood are all out of eligibility after this season and Labaron Philon might be a one-and-done candidate. If Mallette is patient, he could have a massive role for Bama next season.
Nate Oats on decision to redshirt Houston Mallette and Naas Cunningham:
— On Mallette: “Without having the offseason (because of an injury), I think we put him behind the eight ball playing him this year”
— On Cunningham: “With our depth, I’m not sure how many minutes he was…
— Nick Kelly (@_NickKelly) November 5, 2024
TJ Caldwell, Ole Miss, two years of eligibility remaining: The 6-foot-4 guard played 18 minutes per game for Ole Miss last year, but Sean Pedulla, JuJu Murray and Matt Murrell are slated to handle most of the Rebels’ minutes at the 1 and 2, respectively.
