Alabama Basketball: Why Clifford Omoruyi is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

Last season was a special breakthrough at Alabama, as Nate Oats led this program to their first Final Four appearance in school history. Known principally for their football accomplishments, the Crimson Tide have proven in recent years that they have some teeth in the world of basketball. The biggest question moving forward is how this program responds after that breakthrough, especially with new faces in Tuscaloosa.

What makes a return trip to postseason glory possible for Alabama is the return of Mark Sears, the talented guard who put up more than 21 points a game for the Crimson Tide. Returning both Grant Nelson and Latrell Wrightsell is huge news for the Crimson Tide, with Nelson in particular standing out at times in the NCAA Tournament. You won’t see Aaron Estrada or Rylen Griffen next season, though you will see plenty of new talent.

Oats and his staff wasted no time and assembled one of the most impressive transfer classes. They grabbed combo guard Aden Holloway, fresh off a decent freshman campaign at rival Auburn. There’s also Chris Youngblood, a major part of South Florida’s resurgence last season and a great piece at small forward. Another name thrown into the mix is Houston Mallette, a talented shooting guard who put up solid scoring figures out west at Pepperdine.

The cream of the recruiting crop at Alabama is clearly Clifford Omoruyi, the 6’11 center who played for Rutgers. A former Top 50 prospect, Omoruyi arrived four seasons ago and turned into a major frontcourt piece for the Scarlet Knights. His best production came as a junior, though he still managed to average 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game last season as a senior, albeit in a tough year for his Rutgers squad.

Omoruyi immediately fills a lot of holes for the Crimson Tide and solidifies the back end on both sides of the ball. His offensive production has taken a step back, but he remains a menace defensively. Named twice to the Big Ten All-Defense team, Omoruyi was actually third in the nation in blocks per game last season. He’s a physical athlete that the Crimson Tide can plug right into their system and depend on defensively.

This Alabama lineup may be more impressive than last season, especially with Sears coming back and with the new additions to the crew. What makes this interesting is how different things will be for the Crimson Tide. They let the nation in points per game last season, but they weren’t playing with a rim protector and defensive superstar on the back end. How exactly does that change things for this upcoming season?

There’s no question that the Crimson Tide are one of the winners of the offseason for this haul and Omoruyi alone is going to change the dynamic in Tuscaloosa. If he can figure out his scoring touch around the rim, he could become the best big in the SEC, especially with that ferocity on the defensive end. Could this be another special season in Alabama? Does Omoruyi become that legend and adjust properly to life in the SEC?