Former 5-star shooting guard will enter transfer portal after 1 season at Alabama, per report
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Jalil Bethea was one of the country’s most coveted recruits when he signed with Miami out of high school. Now, he’s in the transfer portal for the second time in as many offseasons.
Bethea, who spent the 2025-26 season at Alabama, is set to enter the portal, according to 247Sports’ Travis Branham. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Bethea has struggled to live up to the billing he received as an elite shooting guard at Archbishop Wood High School near Philadelphia. In his lone season at Miami in 2024-25, he played in 31 games and started 16 while averaging 19.0 minutes and 7.0 ppg.
He then entered the transfer portal, where he was one of the most coveted players of the cycle before signing with Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide. But he was hindered by an injury to his pinky toe before the season began and was out of action until a Dec. 3 game against Clemson. He ultimately was unable to consistently break into the rotation as he averaged just 7.9 minutes and 3.9 points in 26 games.
After a disappointing stint in Tuscaloosa, Bethea will hope that this latest change of scenery is what he needs to become a standout player in the college ranks.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
