Nate Oats explains decision to sign contract extension with Alabama

If he were to make himself available, Nate Oats would be the hottest name on the coaching market in college basketball. He has turned Alabama into one of the SEC’s best programs, currently sitting with a 10-0 conference record for the second time in three years. Recruiting has been at a high level as well, with Oats checking all the boxes.

But he will not be leaving Tuscaloosa any time soon. Oats recently signed a contract extension, making him one of the highest paid coaches in the sport through the 2028-2029 season. Oats wants to remain with the Crimson Tide and the feeling is mutual.

“When they made it clear they wanted to keep me here, I made it real clear I wanted to stay here if we could get it worked out,” Oats said. “Greg worked it out. We’re planning on being here for a long time. We love it down here in Tuscaloosa.”

When Oats took over, Alabama had just made the NCAA Tournament twice in 13 years. Both were second round exits as nine seeds, coming under Anthony Grant and Avery Johnson.

This year will mark the third straight appearance in the Big Dance for the Crimson Tide and possibly their best team ever. There is a real chance at being a one-seed for the first time in program history and make a serious run at the Final Four in Houston.

“We’ve built it,” Oats said during an appearance on the College Hoops Today podcast. “There’s no guarantee you go somewhere else and can build what we’ve built here. It’s a lot easier to keep it rolling than it to go try to build something somewhere else. I wasn’t really trying to move. We’ve got what we need here to win at a high level.”

With the recruiting ability Oats and his staff has, added on with the NCAA transfer portal, there don’t have to be down years. Not every Alabama team will have the success the 2022-2023 team projects to have. But consistency making the tournament has not been a thing in Tuscaloosa since the mid-2000s.

As for the contract itself, Oats will be making over $5 million a year. He is now in the upper echelon, from a salary perspective, not just in the SEC but across the nation. Oats has come a long way since being a math teacher not too long ago.

“I could easily still be teaching at Romulus, be having a great time,” Oats said. “I miss my teaching days in some regard, but the last of the month I sure like being here at Alabama.”