Former Alabama defensive lineman slams the team’s coaches

After the first five games of last season, Jeheim Oatis quit the Crimson Tide and later moved to Colorado to play for Deion Sanders, the head coach of the Buffaloes.
Before he left Alabama, Jeheim Oatis was a defensive tackle. He used the transfer portal on October 7, 2024, just five games into the season.

According to NCAA rules, Oatis could sit this season since he had only played in four games. After a few months, on December 16, he made his commitment to Deion Sanders, the head coach of the Colorado and Buffaloes.

About Jehiem Oatis by Kane Wommack

When Oatis told the Crimson Tide that he was leaving, he said, “This choice did not come easily, but I need to put my future and career first.” Even though things didn’t go as planned this season, my love for this school and its amazing fans is still strong.

Today, Oatis talked to On3’s Pete Nakos and said that he didn’t just sign with the Crimson Tide because he wanted more playing time, but also because of the trainers.

He wrote, “I left Alabama because I came in with coach Saban, I took it to heart.” “One of my biggest dreams was to play college football for Coach Saban and win a championship.” I wasn’t interested in the new staff. I knew it was time to leave when I found out they didn’t bother me.

The legendary Nick Saban resigned as head coach of Alabama on January 10, 2024. Two days later, the University of Arizona hired Kalen DeBoer as head coach of Washington to take over for him. A lot of players quit during this 48-hour time because they only wanted to play for Saban.

As a rookie in 2022, Oatis started 10 games. In 2023, he only started three games because he was hurt so often. He was fully healthy again before the 2024 season, but in the first four games, he had only made two stops and played a lot fewer snaps.

The news that Oatis was leaving came out just a few hours before Alabama’s weekly sports press conference. DeBoer talked about it and said that things had been going this way for a while.

“The thing you also have to understand is there’s other elements to this,” he said. “There are health aspects. There are parts of life. I love these guys. They work hard, and Jehiem made decisions and did things for a reason. He has informed us and is still talking to us here about it.

“We move forward with the guys who can really help us win, and we keep our plan in mind.” I don’t want to tie this all together yet because I want what’s best for everyone. Jehiem is one of them.

Now, Oatis wants to play a big part for the Buffaloes this coming season.