Alabama guard Jalil Bethea suffered an injury to his left foot during practice that required surgery, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats announced on Sunday.

Bethea underwent surgery on Friday in Birmingham, and he is expected to return at some point during the 2025-26 season, though there remains uncertainty over when.

“The procedure was performed by Dr. Norman Waldrop with Andrews Sports Medicine on Friday, Sept. 19th in Birmingham,” Oats’ statement read. “While there is no timetable for Bethea’s return, we do not anticipate this injury is season ending and we expect him to return this year.”

A former top-10 recruit, Bethea began his career at Miami, where he averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Hurricanes as a freshman in 31 games (16 starts).

Bethea committed to the Crimson Tide out of the transfer portal in early April and was expected to become a major contributor for Alabama this season.

Alabama finished 28-9 in 2024-25, losing in the East Regional final to top-seeded Duke 85-65.

–Field Level Media