Alabama transfer Rylan Griffen shares real reason why he left the Crimson Tide following Final Four appearance

Former Alabama Crimson Tide guard Rylan Griffen shocked fans when he entered his name in the transfer portal after the school's historic maiden Final Four run. The sophomore averaged 11.2 points and 3.4 rebounds, shooting 45.4% from the floor, including 39.2% from deep.

Griffen moved to the Kansas Jayhawks, joining Hunter Dickinson, Zeke Mayo and AJ Storr. In a video posted by Kansas on Instagram, the shooting guard answered fan questions. And one of them was the reason for his transfer.

"Well, obviously it was a tough decision," Griffen said, "but feel like I just needed a change of scenery. And when you leave and you enter the transfer portal, you start to look at rosters and see where you fit. And I feel like this was the best fit for me out of all the options I had."

In an interview with the Kansas City Star in April, Rylan Griffen said that coach Bill Self was one of the biggest factors in his choice to play for the Jayhawks.

"The biggest reason I came here is to be pushed and learn from coach Self," Griffen said. "He has a great track record. He’s a winner and that’s something that I still want to do at the highest level.

"I came here so all of my coaches can push me and help make me the best player that I can be and keep growing and learning. It’s a basketball school, so just seeing all the players here before me, I want to live the same life they did."

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Bill Self believes Rylan Griffen is the perfect fit for Kansas

Since the NCAA championship victory in 2022, the Kansas Jayhawks have been unlucky in March Madness with early exits. However, in this offseason, coach Bill Self has put together one of the strongest rosters in the NCAA right now.

Coach Self shared in the same interview for the Kansas City Star that the new signee, Rylan Griffen, fit perfectly with his plan.

“Rylan’s won everywhere he’s been,” Self said. “He’s a solid shooter, making 39% from 3-point range on last season’s Final Four team at Alabama. He’s also a solid defender, often guarding the best perimeter player on the opposing team. Rylan fits our system well.”

At the same time, Alabama and coach Nate Oats have also stacked their roster with transfer talents and are expected to be Kansas' biggest threat on the road to the NCAA championship.

Do you think Rylan Griffen made the right choice by transferring to Kansas? Let us know in the comment section below.

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