Grant Nelson Returning to Alabama Basketball for Final Season

Nelson has one year of eligibility remaining and will return for his second season in Tuscaloosa.

Mar 28, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (2) reacts in the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Sometimes the best gets are the ones you already have.

Alabama retained a massive piece of its Final Four team from a year ago, with starting forward Grant Nelson announcing he will return to Tuscaloosa for his fifth and final season of college basketball.

Nelson will spend a second season at Alabama, having transferred from North Dakota State last offseason after becoming a first team All-Summit League player over his three years up north. In the SEC it took him some time to adjust to his physicality, but he rounded into form in the NCAA Tournament to help lead Alabama to its first-ever Final Four. For the season, he averaged 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

His best performance of the season came in a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double against North Carolina in the Sweet 16, and he performed admirably in the Final Four loss to UConn, scoring 19 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. He will be one of the better returning players in the SEC, and having spent a season adjusting to the high-major game, is poised to make another leap in terms of production.

Alabama has already faced significant roster turnover since the season ended, losing six players to the transfer portal (Rylan Griffen, Nick Pringle, Sam Walters, Mo Wague, Davin Cosby, Kris Parker), and adding three players by way of the portal as well (Pepperdine's Houston Mallette, USF's Chris Youngblood, Auburn's Aden Holloway). The Crimson Tide is still awaiting a decision from Mark Sears, who is testing the NBA Draft waters for feedback but still has the option to return to school.

Alabama currently has two open scholarship spots remaining, to fill with either high school recruits or players from the transfer portal.

Check out BamaCentral's 2024-25 Alabama basketball roster tracker for a complete breakdown on where the roster currently stands.