South Florida star Chris Youngblood headed home to Tuscaloosa to join Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide

After a career year alongside AAC coach of the year, Amir Abdur-Rahim, combo-guard Chris Youngblood has announced he will be heading back to his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, transferring to the Alabama Crimson Tide to play under another one of the best coaches in the nation, Nate Oats, who has the Tide coming off a Final Four appearance. 

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound guard will get to play in front of family as well as compete for a national championship in one of the best conferences in college basketball, the SEC. Chris Youngblood's journey from the start of his collegiate career at Kennesaw State to now is incredible.

Youngblood left Kennesaw State alongside head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, and both went to South Florida before the start of the last season. Rahim instantly turned the tide on the USF basketball program. They went from a below-.500 team a year ago to the regular-season conference champs with a 25-8 record (16-2 AAC) and just missed out on an NCAA Tournament bid due to not having enough quad one and two wins. However, they did get a NIT bid. 

Chris Youngblood was able to receive Co-Player of the Year honors in the American Athletic Conference and proved why he is more than capable of playing for a program like Alabama, looking to build his skillset with hopes of getting to the next level. 

Youngblood was the catalyst for South Florida, averaging 15.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 45.8 FG%, and shooting 41.6% from the three-point line. His game has been polished more and more each year, and now he makes a massive jump to the SEC, where he will get to be coached by one of the best in Oats. 

When the Kentucky job opened up many were anticipating the possibility that Nate Oats would interview and potentially land that job with the Big Blue Nation, however, it seems as if he wasn't all that intrigued and liked what he was building with the Crimson Tide. Alabama is expected to return some key players that include, Grant Nelson, Rylen Griffen, Latrell Wrightsell Jr., and Jarin Stevenson.