Paul Finebaum discusses Nate Oats' future at Alabama after contract extension

Alabama signed Nate Oats to another contract extension on Friday that will reportedly make him one of the highest-paid coaches in America. It had only been just over a year since his last extension but, considering all things, it was something that Paul Finebaum knows the Crimson Tide had to do.

Finebaum spoke about Oats’ deal during an appearance on ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning’ on Monday. He said that, even though Oats was already under contract at ‘Bama, it’s a game at the negotiating tables that schools can’t afford to lose when names like his appear in coaching searches for other programs.

“Yeah, I think they had to,” Finebaum said. “Nowadays, because of smart agents – and, for the record, I don’t believe, unless he has changed in the last couple of weeks, he is not represented by Jimmy Sexton so we can all not just go crazy about one guy controlling everything – these things do happen and universities have no choice.”

“Every time I hear somebody say, ‘Well, how does one man have so much power?’. It’s because ADs – and I think Greg Byrne is on the front row with the best athletic directors in the country – can’t afford to deal with the other side of it,” said Finebaum.

Oats has become one of the country’s most popular coaches with what he has done in Tuscaloosa. He has a record of 113-53 (.681) in his five years. His achievements in that time so far are already among the best in school history. After yesterday’s selection, the Tide have made the NCAA Tournament four times, including their first-ever No. 1 seed. They’ve also won some form of conference crown four times under him.

With that resumé, it’s natural that other openings will eventually come calling. It’s just that, this time around, it wasn’t as dire as some may have thought based on Finebaum’s assessment of the gigs at Michigan and Ohio State. However, that doesn’t mean another couldn’t come around in the near future that Oats would have interest in leaving Alabama for.

“His name is going to come up many, many places in the future,” said Finebaum. “I just don’t think Michigan was the job that really excited him. Ohio State was mentioned. That didn’t turn out to stay open for long.”

“There are other jobs out there,” Finebaum added. “I think Michigan State is a job that he probably always had his eye on. There’s one or two other jobs that could come open in the next two, three years that I think he would be a prime candidate for.

Considering all things, Finebaum just doesn’t think very much of this decision. Contracts are only binding in sports until they’re not which, for some coaches, could be at any moment.

For now, though, Oats is Alabama’s head coach and at least looks to be that for the foreseeable future.

“I don’t believe for a minute that this really means very much,” Finebaum opined. “I know that sounds cynical but contracts are broken every day. We see that in football and we see it in basketball.”

“I think what it means is for now,” said Finebaum. “For now, being the operative word? He’s there.”