Kalen DeBoer on Alabama football as home underdog vs Georgia
The Alabama football coach talked about his team’s mentality as it prepares for Georgia as a home underdog.
Two spots have been filled; 13 remain.
Alabama basketball’s 2025 recruiting class is already ranked No. 4 according to On3’s industry rankings.
Four-star commits Amari Allen and London Jemison have sworn themselves to the returning Final Four squad with a “Roll Tide.” A number of recruits on the radar could push the Crimson Tide’s incoming class of prospects to No. 1.
Say hello! Meet Emilee Smarr, the new Alabama basketball reporter for The Tuscaloosa News
On the trail: Alabama basketball 2025 recruiting class picks up another 4-star in London Jemison
Alabama coach Nate Oats got fans excited about the program’s 2024-25 roster during a radio appearance on Hey Coach.
“We’ve got the most depth that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Oats said. “It’s a luxury, but it’s also a problem because you’ve got to figure out minutes, but I think we’ve got great kids that are all about winning.”
The high praise makes it hard to believe the 2024 class has yet to hit the floor in Tuscaloosa. Now consider that the next men up could make a yet-to-be-seen Alabama team that much better than what’s been advertised so far.
Here are five 2025 Alabama basketball recruits to know:
Five 2025 prospects to know for Alabama basketball
Mikel Brown, Jr.
School: DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Florida)
Position: Point guard
Rating: 5-star
Skilled hands — elite with his left — and a strong IQ for the game made Brown a highly touted prospect early on in his playing career. However, a growth spurt over the past couple years has seen a similar boost to his recruitment. Brown, billed at 6-foot-3 with a 6-6 wingspan, has offers from 26 schools, including Kentucky, Indiana, UCF and Ole Miss.
Despite a natural ability to read the floor and zip the ball to his teammates, Brown is known to get knocked off his spots, which makes him hit-or-miss as a shooter. Time in the weight room to pack onto his 165-pound build will help him develop the strength college coaches want to see more of.
AJ Dybantsa
School: Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah)
Position: Small forward
Rating: 5-star
The ceiling has only ever grown higher for Dybantsa. A projected first-round pick, the wing brings over 200 pounds with his 6-9 frame. Not to mention an unbeatable pull-up game with a release so high that it’s rarely jilted.
There are 29 offers on the table for the No. 1 recruit in the country. Auburn, Baylor, Brigham Young, North Carolina, Kansas and Kansas State lead the final seven with Alabama, which last welcomed Dybantsa for an official visit back in September.
Meleek Thomas
School: Overtime Elite (Atlanta)
Position: Shooting guard
Rating: 5-star
Alabama’s coaching staff is high on this 6-4, 175-pound walking bucket. Thomas is the 11th-ranked recruit in the country and the No. 1 shooting guard. He started his tour of official visits in Auburn last January, making his way to Kentucky and UConn before touching down in Tuscaloosa in September.
Locking this guy down might even include a package deal. The Crimson Tide coaching staff has interest in a few more of his four-star teammates at Overtime Elite. In addition to Thomas, Alabama offered 6-9 power forward Bryson Tiller, 6-5 small forward Efeosa Oliogu and 6-2 point guard Tyler Jackson.
Thomas is set to join Dybantsa, plus top 15 combo guard Brayden Burries, in Tuscaloosa this weekend as the city swarms with fans — and Donald Trump — in attendance for Kalen DeBoer’s first in-conference matchup against Georgia.
Jaden Toombs
School: Dynamic Prep (Dallas)
Position: Center
Rating: 4-star
The Crimson Tide likes Francis Chukwudebelu, a center out of Argyle High in Texas. Yet, the 6-10, 220 pounder seems to be warm on programs like Kansas and Michigan State. Additionally, he was recruited by former assistant Bryan Hodgson. This year, Hodgson navigates his second season at Arkansas, although the Razorbacks have yet to offer Chukwudebelu.
Luckily, Alabama knows of another big man about an hour down the road in Dallas.
Toombs measures out to 6-10, 245 pounds, complemented by a whopping 7-3 wingspan and standing reach exceeding 9-feet. While it may seem that size is the big selling point on Toombs, top-notch decision-making defines his game. When he isn’t banging out rebounds, he’s shown that he can be a productive passer, averaging 2.1 assists per game, without being prone to turnovers. Spending his senior season honing in on athleticism and mobility could see Toombs climb up from his current status as the seventh-ranked center in the nation and No. 48 overall recruit.
Toombs plans to announce his college decision on at 4 p.m. Wednesday, choosing from the Crimson Tide, Miami, SMU, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt.
Caleb Wilson
School: Holy Innocents Episcopal (Atlanta)
Position: Power forward
Rating: 5-star
Having Wilson frontcourt with Jemison at wing could be a lethal combo for opponents coming Alabama’s way over the next few seasons. At 6-9, 205 pounds, Wilson fits the mold for his position. He breaks it by being raw and coachable. More meat on his bones could make him the old-school power forward that Alabama has been lacking.
If Wilson chooses the Crimson Tide, only time will tell what a coach like Oats could make. It could very well be the Chris Bosh-type player that Wilson has been compared to. However, it’ll be a battle to win the No. 1 recruit for the state of Georgia.
Wilson named his Top 12 of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, UCF and USC last July. That September, Wilson took an official visit to Lexington and received two visits from Kentucky coach Mark Pope before rounding out his college tour at Alabama the following month.
Expect for the Wildcats to close in on Wilson in the coming months now that four-star and former Alabama prospect Braylon Mullins has decommitted from Kentucky and narrowed down his choices to Indiana, UConn and UNC.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
