Former NC State Forward Cole Cloer Commits to Alabama Men’s Basketball

Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide Men's Basketball team added another forward via the NCAA transfer portal, with former NC State forward Cole Cloer committing to the Crimson Tide, according to Yea Alabama.

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Cloer is a 6-foot-7, 190-pound small forward who played his final season of high school basketball at IMG Academy. He originally signed with NC State head coach Will Wade, choosing the Wolfpack over the Crimson Tide, UConn, UNC, and Florida. He was a four-star prospect coming out of high school in the 2026 recruiting class.

Cloer entered the transfer portal before his first season of college basketball after Will Wade left NC State to rejoin the LSU Tigers as the Tigers' men's basketball head coach.

247 Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote in his evaluation of Cloer out of high school:

"Cloer is a big-time shooter of the basketball who also possesses good wing size and bounce at the rim. He has a high and compact release, gets beautiful loft and rotation on his ball, and is a threat to make all different types of shots. He can make threes on the move or off the dribble, knocked down 43% of his open spot-up threes in EYBL play, and also has a complimenting pull-up game with his ability to score overtop of most opposing wings. Most of all, he has that outward confidence and swagger that almost all great shot-makers share.

While Cloer isn’t really a creator off the dribble, he has a defined niche that is translatable to the highest levels and a good complimenting skill-set. He uses his shot-fake very well, has a long first step if he gets his defender in the air, good feel as a ball mover, a solid left hand, and can take smaller defenders into the post. He’s even shown some flashes of being able to be a secondary pick-and-roll threat.

Physically, he has very good positional size at over 6-foot-7 (with shoes) and the bounce to be a lob threat or rise-up for explosive open floor finishes. While he lacks ideal length and has a bit of a long neck, he’s gotten stronger and added some noticeable muscle mass definition. Defensively, increased strength and physicality will only benefit him, but there is room for growth with his footspeed and attention to detail at times."

Alabama Men's Basketball Roster Tracker

Houston Mallette: Exhausted Eligibility
Latrell Wrightsell Jr.: Exhausted Eligibility
Noah Williamson: Exhausted Eligibility
Labaron Philon: NBA Draft
Taylor Bol Bowen: Entering Transfer Portal
Aiden Sherrell: Entering Transfer Portal (Committed to Indiana)
Jalil Bethea: Entering Transfer Portal (Committed to Pittsburgh)

Aden Holloway: Expected to Return to Alabama

No Announced Decisions at This Time:

Davion Hannah, Guard
Amari Allen, Forward
London Jemison, Forward
Keitenn Bristow, Forward
Collins Onyejiaka, Center

Transferring to Alabama

Brandon Garrison, Forward (Kentucky)
Jamarion Davis-Fleming (Mississippi State)
Cole Cloer (NC State)

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.