Nate Oats continues to embrace the roster fluidity of modern college basketball. Alabama’s roster shakeup continued Sunday, and as a result another exciting talent is headed to Tuscaloosa.

Five days after requesting Kansas to release from his letter of intent, Labaron Philon committed to Alabama. The 6-foot-4 guard is the 33rd-rated player nationally, per 247Sports Composite rankings.

Philon told AL.com Sunday afternoon that Alabama had the “best system in the country.”

Philon was previously committed to Auburn while attending Baker High in Mobile. He won Mr. Basketball and was a two-time Class 7A Player of the Year. He posted 2,334 points before transferring to Link (Mo.) Academy for his senior season. The Tide was among the contenders both rounds of his recruitment. The third courtship included a trip this weekend to Alabama’s facility in Coleman Coliseum.

For the second year in a row, UA has stayed active in the transfer portal. While Philon technically doesn’t count as a transfer, he’s an offseason pickup that reshapes how the 2024 roster can be viewed.

Should Mark Sears and Grant Nelson come back and not go pro — an expectation but not a certainty considering how last year went with Charles Bediako and Jahvon Quinerly — Oats and co. will have one of the deepest rosters in the country.

Philon was an offensive force in Alabama. Coaches couldn’t scheme ways to stop him during his junior season (35 points per game). MaxPreps and Gatorade both named Philon the state’s player of the year. He can attack the paint and shoot the 3-pointer, making it hard not to imagine him developing with Holloway in Oats’ system. The Tide could return a starting backcourt with Sears and Latrell Wrightsell, offering both underclassmen cover.

On Saturday, Rylan Griffen transferred to Bill Self and the Jayhawks. Kansas also welcomed good news in the return of big man Hunter Dickinson for a final season. The Tide has three high school recruits and now four transfers incoming after six players departed: Chris Youngblood, Houston Mallette, Aden Holloway.

The Tide’s recruiting class now improved to second overall behind Duke (five 5-stars) in 247Sports Composite’s team rankings. Oats also needs to replace one member of his bench after Austin Claunch accepted the head coaching role at UTSA.

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].