Why Jehiem Oatis Left Alabama, Transferred To Colorado Buffaloes

Oatis decided to transfer in the middle of the season, a move which has become common for players hoping to preserve their redshirt. Once the transfer portal officially opened, he eventually committed to the Colorado Buffaloes and coach Deion Sanders.

Oatis revealed to On3 that "Coach Prime" and his NFL-experienced coaching staff was why the talented defensive lineman chose the Buffaloes out of the portal. With the Buffaloes, Oatis is working closely with Colorado's pass rush coordinator Warren Sapp, a Super Champion and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Got a great defensive line coach in coach Sapp,” Oatis said on why he picked Colorado. “Great defensive line coach with coach . I came out here because of the great coaches. And I wanted to play for coach Deion. Seeing our coaches, you know what they did in the league and the legacy they left there. Like coach Peko, he played 15 years in the league at nose tackle. That explains it all right there.”

As many college football fans can recall, Saban retired after the 2023 season, and Alabama hired former Washington Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer as the next coach of the Crimson Tide. Under the new staff, Oatis felt as though he was not getting the playing time that he deserved.

In his freshman year at Alabama, Oatis played in 12 games and started 10 of them. At the end of the 2022 season, Oatis was one of four defensive linemen named to the All-SEC Freshman team alongside Georgia's Mykel Williams and Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart. Both Williams and Stewart were selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

As a sophomore with the Crimson Tide, Oatis continued to build on his potential and was named to the Outland Trophy watchlist, an annual award for the best interior lineman in college football. However, Oatis only started three games in 2023, and after Saban retired, Oatis decided to use his redshirt after appearing in four games in 2024.

Now a member of Colorado's defense, what are some of Oatis' goals for the upcoming season? The Buffaloes defender told Nakos that he's hoping to stay healthy and prove himself as an NFL prospect.