Alabama defensive tackle Jehiem Oatis has decided to redshirt for the 2024 season and will enter the NCAA transfer portal.

The junior said that decreased playing time was the primary factor in his decision. Oatis, listed at 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds, appeared in five games for the Crimson Tide this season, accumulating one tackle and one pass deflected. In his three seasons at Alabama, he has 57 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks, three tackles for loss and five passes deflected.

“Getting the reps and looks that I’m getting,” Oatis said to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “I feel like it’s better for me to move on somewhere new.”

Oatis, a former four-star recruit and the sixth-ranked defensive tackle in the 2022 recruiting class, has played an average of 16 snaps per game this season. By comparison, he averaged more than 22 snaps per game last year and more than 24 during the 2022 season.

In Alabama’s two biggest games so far this season against Wisconsin and Georgia, Oatis played 25 total snaps. Oatis didn’t play in the Tide’s upset loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday due to a knee injury.

During the spring, he had surgeries on his shoulder, knee and ankle, which limited his ability to practice. Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack referenced Oatis’ injuries when discussing the matter with reporters on Monday.

“He’s been battling some injuries and, you know, has not been able to perform or produce the way that any of us would like,” Wommack said, via The Tuscaloosa News. “But my focus is really on the players that are going to do everything they can to help us win football games. And so that’s really where my focus is at right now.”

At his Monday news conference, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said coaches felt Oatis was leaning toward this decision.

“Felt like it was going that way,” DeBoer said. “I think what we also have to understand is there’s other elements to this, right? There’s health elements, there’s life elements. I love these guys, they’ve worked hard. Jehiem’s choices and things, there’s reasons for that.”

Despite the bewildering loss to Vanderbilt, Las Vegas still has a little bit of faith in the Crimson Tide. According to FanDuel, the opening line is Bama -20.5 which basically translates to a three touchdown margin. It has since moved to 21.5.

Like many teams, South Carolina has been a bit of an enigma this season. Through five games, they are still the only team to dominate and destroy Kentucky (by the score of 31-6). Yet, the Gamecocks topped 1-4 Old Dominion by only four points.

SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina is a wobbly 3-2. They have had only one road game, but it was the big Kentucky upset. They gave LSU a run for their money but then got stonewalled by Ole Miss.

ALABAMA

The fact that Alabama will be back home helps. A big unknown is how they will react to their upset defeat. Will they mope around or be pisst off? One thing that seems certain is that the Tide offense will put up some points.

MATH

With an over/under of 51.5 and 21.5 point spread, the final score could look something like BAMA 37, SCAR 15. Would you be willing to bet on this game?

Former Alabama football running back Damien Harris minced no words Sunday about Alabama’s 40-35 loss to Vanderbilt on a podcast with The Athletic, specifically taking aim at team captain and starting safety Malachi Moore for his outburst in the final minute of the game.

With Vanderbilt running out the clock for the win, Moore hit Commodores QB Diego Pavia late after a first-down run, then slung his mouthpiece and kicked the football after it had been spotted by officials to draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. He also seemingly waved off defensive coordinator Kane Wommack’s attempt to substitute him out of the game.

MALACHI MELTDOWN: How Kalen DeBoer reacted to Malachi Moore outburst at end of Vandy loss

GOODBREAD: Vanderbilt set trap, and Alabama football stepped in it with both feet

“No. 13, Malachi Moore, brother, I don’t know you. I’m not trying to disrespect you. But what you did last night on that football field was complete and utter (expletive). You are a two-time captain. Somebody who has your hand and footprint in Denny Chimes. How did you show up yesterday?,” Harris said. “The only thing I remember seeing from you is slamming the guy’s head on the ground unnecessarily. Punching yourself, throwing your mouthpiece. Not even in a way of, like, OK, nobody’s looking. Like, ‘I’m bigger than the game. I’m bigger than the team. I’m bigger than this moment. Like, everybody look at me. Look at how pissed off I am. Look at what I got to say about it. Let me pick up a ridiculous 15-yard penalty for no apparent reason.’ And you call yourself a two-time captain?”

Moore was a captain of Alabama’s 2023 SEC Championship team, and was named a 2024 captain in the preseason by new coach Kalen DeBoer. Harris, retired from the NFL and now a CBS Sports analyst, had words not only for Moore, but for DeBoer as well.

“I’m gonna tell you exactly why he feels like he can act like that. You go and look at what Kalen DeBoer said in his postgame press conference about Malachi Moore. ‘Oh, well he’s one of our guys, and he’s one of our leaders. Yeah, we expect him to use this and only bring positivity the rest of the season.’ Man, damn that!,” Harris said. “What’s up with that? Nick Saban would have said that? No! That’s (expletive). That don’t help you win games. That does not help you control the talent and the level of guys that you’ve never coached before, guys that you’ve never had experience with, at a program that you don’t know what it takes to win these kinds of games. You just come in here and try to be everybody’s buddy-buddy. Try to be everybody’s friend. Well what does that get you? That gets you beat against Vandy on the road.”

Harris won two national championships and three SEC championships during his career at the Capstone. He rushed for 2,779 yards and 21 touchdowns over four seasons at UA from 2015-2019.

“I can tell you what would have happened in the days that I was there. We would have tried to rip the ‘C’ off his jersey. We would have lit him up,” Harris said. “From every coach, every player, Reuben Foster, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Da’ron Payne, Jalen Hurts, Jerry Jeudy, everybody would have been on this dude’s head, like we don’t do that.”

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.