Nate Oats hammers home clear message on Mark Sears amid benching controversy

When Mark Sears did not start the second half of Alabama‘s game against LSU on Saturday, a few eyebrows were raised. They went even higher when Sears wound up not playing a minute to close out the game, one the Crimson Tide won. Nate Oats had benched his star player, at home, and in a close SEC contest.

A few days later, everything appears to be smoothed over. Sears is set to play for Alabama on Wednesday, heading to Starkville for a ranked matchup against Mississippi State. But there is still a message Oats wants to send to his entire team.

“There is nobody above the program, including the head coach,” Oats said.

Standards at Alabama are high, especially off a Final Four appearance last year. Oats has not revealed the exact halftime conversations that led to not just Sears being benched but Cliff Omoruyi as well. Both came out of the halftime locker room and sat on the bench. The difference is that Omoruyi got back into the game and contributed in a big way.

Oats’ goal is to make sure the program is able to function without one specific person, including himself. He used an example from Nick Saban when he missed the 2020 Iron Bowl vs. Auburn due to COVID-19. Steve Sarkisian was the acting head coach while Saban watched from home but Alabama still cruised to a 42-13 win.

“My first year here, I had to go to my grandfather’s funeral,” Oats said. “If I missed a game, if I missed a day. I think Coach Saban maybe had to miss one back in COVID. He built such a strong program that they’re able to perform without any one particular person there.

“The program is bigger than any one person, including the head coach. Let’s build such a strong program and such a strong culture by everybody in it that we don’t rely on just one person all the time.”

There is a difference between being reliant on somebody and having them contribute in a major way. Oats knows if Alabama is going to make a run through February and March, the best version of Sears is going to be needed. The same applies to Omoruyi as Oats hopes to find a stride through a tough SEC stretch.

“We certainly need Sears, we certainly need Cliff, certainly need everybody to be the best,” Oats said. “… Getting the best version of Mark Sears is what’s best for this team.”