More recruiting news today out of the Portal, and in many ways, it’s as exciting as the signing of Noah Williamson, as the Crimson Tide nabbed 6’10” Taylor Bol Bowen. The former ESPN Top 100 arrives at the Capstone via Florida State, and adds significant firepower at the power forward position.
His athleticism is off the chart, with significant ups for a big man. He can and does put the ball on the floor. He can create his own shot off the dribble, as well as finish near the basket. He’s a capable defender, scraps for loose balls on contested plays, and is a pretty good rebounder. Despite coming in at just 195 pounds, Bol Bowen showed that he can finish through contact, and was willing to go to the basket against far more imposing bigs, and as be physical in the screen game. Last year, he averaged 8.0/5.2 a night, shooting about 48% from the floor.
There are two things in particular to love about Taylor’s game that I would draw to your attention.
The first is his development. In every facet of his game, TBB improved from his Freshman to Sophomore seasons. You could tell by the end of the season that he was fully in command of his stroke. The big man shot a lethal 41% from the perimeter, and upped his free throw shooting to 78% on the year. He will be given the green light to let ‘er rip as a legitimate shooting threat. When you couple that with his ability to get the hole off the dribble, he becomes a very dangerous player to guard.
The second thing to love is his pedigree, and that won’t show up on the stat sheet: FSU always pushed the floor under now-retired Leonard Hamilton. So, for Bol Bowen to earn his 25 minutes a night, he had to be able to run to earn a spot in that starting lineup, and run he did; not only that, it was not uncommon to see TBB lead the breakout and bring the ball up the floor. For such a large man, he has excellent ball handling skills. He did so carefully too, averaging just 1.4 TOs a night, far better on a per/40 basis than Alabama’s now-departing front court seniors.
This is a great addition to next year’s unit, and you can see the 2026 Tide starting to take shape. Alabama is plainly targeting impact players in the frontcourt who can add offense to ‘Bama’s usually-potent backcourt. We said in our season review that Alabama had to both get larger and find players who could be legitimate scoring threats on the interior. Bowen’s addition alongside Williamson is a clear signal that the Tide’s staff aren’t dummies: You can’t win a title on jump shots alone.
Welcome to the Capstone, Taylor.
Roll Tide.
