Villanova transfer Jahvon Quinerly committed to Alabama on Sunday night, he told ESPN.
Quinerly chose the Crimson Tide over Pittsburgh, taking visits to both schools earlier this week. Nate Oats, who replaced Avery Johnson as Alabama’s head coach in late March, made Quinerly a major priority and the Crimson Tide emerged as a favorite shortly after Quinerly’s decision to transfer.
A 6-foot-1 point guard from New Jersey, Quinerly was a five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American in the class of 2018. He was expected to push for a starting spot in Jay Wright’s program, but Wright opted to go with sophomore Collin Gillespie, who played a key role in Villanova’s national championship run two seasons ago.
Quinerly appeared in 25 of 36 games, playing only a total of one minute in the final eight games of the season. He averaged 3.2 points.
“Jahvon is a dynamic guard that plays best in the open floor. He’s a perfect fit with the way we play,” Oats said in a statement. “He’s a playmaker that makes plays for both himself and his teammates. He makes everyone around him better. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him and his family throughout this recruiting process. He comes from a great close-knit family and is the type of high-character individual we’re looking to bring into our program here.”
Quinerly told ESPN he planned on applying to the NCAA for a waiver to play immediately. If the NCAA doesn’t grant it, Quinerly will have to sit out the 2019-20 season and have three years of eligibility remaining. He is ranked No. 5 among ESPN’s top sit-out transfers.
Quinerly chose Villanova over Oklahoma in February 2018, but he originally pledged to Arizona in the summer of 2017. He then decommitted following the FBI probe into college basketball, as he was recruited by Arizona assistant Emanuel “Book” Richardson, one of the four assistant coaches arrested in the investigation.
Oats has had a successful spring since taking over in Tuscaloosa, convincing John Petty and Kira Lewis Jr. to return instead of transferring and landing West Virginia graduate transfer James “Beetle” Bolden. If Quinerly is eligible immediately, Alabama would have one of the best perimeter groups in the SEC.
