Rylan Griffen is paying a visit to Alabama basketball.
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound junior guard left the Crimson Tide after a run to the Final Four and spent a season with the Kansas Jayhawks, who suffered a first-round upset to No. 10-seed Arkansas in the NCAA tournament. According to On3’s Joe Tipton, fans shouldn’t rule Griffen out as Alabama‘s fourth transfer portal commit for the 2025-26 roster.
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Flying high at No. 1 in the nation in the preseason, Kansas seemed like a place where Griffen could reach his full potential and have more freedom to develop his game outside of a Nate Oats’ offense that isn’t particularly fond of mid-range shots.
This offseason, it seemed like Kentucky — the next destination for former Alabama teammate Mo Dioubate — could be a landing spot for Griffen he canceled his upcoming visit on Monday.
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During the 2023-24 season at Alabama, Griffen averaged 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, shooting 45.4% from the floor and over 39% from deep. His stat-line didn’t fare well at Kansas, dropping to an average 6.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He saw a decline in his shooting, too, making 41.3% of attempts from the floor and 36.4% of threes.
Including Griffen, Alabama’s latest class of transfers — featuring 7-footer Noah Williamson (Bucknell), 6-10 forward Taylor Bol Bowens (FSU) and freshman guard Jalil Bethea (Miami) — is expected to reach new heights with the Crimson Tide.
Kansas transfer Rylan Griffen will pay visit to Alabama basketball
Now-Arkansas State head coach Ryan Pannone reportedly said the Crimson Tide would love to have Griffen back, but it would take convincing the boss man. Based on Thursday’s announcement that he would be back in Title Town for a visit on Friday, it seems Oats has had a change of heart.
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There had been signs on Griffen’s social media that a comeback could be in the cards. It never looked like Alabama had bad blood with any of the players that departed from the Final Four team. There were always hugs and handshakes during ring exchanges with former teammates like South Carolina transfer Nick Pringle, Oklahoma big man Mo Wague, or Davin Cosby Jr., who is now set to play at Kennesaw State under Antoine Pettway next season after the last year at Wake Forest.
Feb 24, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Rylan Griffen (3) drives to the basket during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Since hitting the transfer portal on April 1, the love Griffen has shown to Alabama players has been a little thicker than usual.
Two days after Yea Alabama posted a graphic to announce the return of Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Griffen reposted the photo of his Final Four comrade to his Instagram story with the caption “blood type.” He proceeded to reshare Dioubate’s goodbye Instagram post, captioning the photo of the two hugging on a historic run “family type.”
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Griffen clearly never burned the bridge back to Tuscaloosa.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Former Tide member and transfer target plans Alabama basketball visit
