On March 28, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne sent out a tweet that calmed the waters in Tuscaloosa. “We are good,” Byrne wrote. “He’s not going anywhere!” The photo showed Byrne standing arm-in-arm with basketball coach Nate Oats. On a canvas behind them read “where legends are made.”
At the time, there was uncertainty about Oats’s future. Would Kansas come to the table if Bill Self retired? (He hasn’t.) Would North Carolina turn to Tuscaloosa if Tommy Lloyd turned it down? That question probably matters now more than ever.
Oats has been one of the winningest coaches in the country since joining Alabama. Would he actually leave? The answer has been a swift no.
“We’ve got enough of something in place that I’ll be (at Alabama), correct. Yes,” Oats said Friday afternoon during an appearance on the Field of 68 podcast.
Oats has won 70% of his games across 7 seasons with Alabama. The Crimson Tide have won 2 regular-season SEC titles, 2 SEC Tournament crowns, and made the Final Four in 2024.
“We’re turned in the right direction. I think Houston’s the only program to make more Sweet 16s than us since I got there. We’ve got pretty good success. We’re going to try to pour more resources into what we need to to try to (contend). I’d like to be the first one (at Alabama) to win a national championship.
“Now, you’ve got to catch a lot of breaks. But we’re trending in the right direction. We weren’t good enough this year. … But we’ve got it started. … I’d like to continue moving it that way.”
Oats also said that personal reasons factored into his decision to commit to Alabama long-term.
“To me, my job as a father is more important than my job as a coach,” Oats said. “Carolina’s obviously a blue blood. It’s one of the best jobs in the country. I love Alabama. I love working for Greg Byrne. I love the city. I love all the connections I’ve made there. And, personally, it didn’t make much sense to try to move at this point.”
Alabama’s most recent season ended with a 90-77 loss to Michigan in the Sweet 16. Still, the Tide have won at least 25 games in 4 straight seasons, the longest such streak in program history.
RELATED: Kalshi is offering contracts on the next North Carolina head coach. It won’t be Lloyd, and Oats’s odds are slim.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
