Nate Oats on contract extension: 'I’m not planning on leaving'
Nate Oats plans on being in Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a while. Thursday, Alabama announced the head coach agreed to a contract extension that will run through the 2026-27 season while increasing his payout to $3.225 million annually. Friday, Oats commented on his new deal, expressing his appreciation and excitement toward the future of Alabama basketball.
“I’m excited about the extension they gave me yesterday,” Oats said. “Obviously we’ve done pretty well here in Year 2, and my family’s really grown to like the area. I like it, great people to work with here. I thank Greg Byrne. He’s been unbelievable to work with.”
In his second year with the program, Oats has helped lead No. 8 Alabama to its best season in nearly 20 years. The Crimson Tide (17-5, 12-1 in the SEC) leads the conference by three games and is projected as a No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Alabama heads into its game against Vanderbilt on Saturday needing just two wins to clinch a share of the SEC regular-season title for the first time since 2002.
Oats, who took over last season, has posted a 33-20 record during his time with the Tide, including a 20-11 mark against SEC competition. He came to Alabama after spending four seasons as the head coach at Buffalo, where he coached the Bulls to a 96-43 record while making the NCAA Tournament three out of four years.
After locking up his future with Alabama, Oats said he hopes to emulate the success of Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban and build the Tide into a perennial contender on the basketball court.
“There’s really nothing holding us back from being one of the better programs in the country,” Oats said. “We’ve been top 10 in the country for a long time this season. We’re performing like a top-10 team.
“We’re going to lose some seniors, so next year maybe a littlle bit of a rebuild, but it may not. We may be able to get some guys coming up through that do great. … I think the resources are here at Alabama for us to be performing at a high level within the SEC and within the country on a year-in, year-out basis, and I’m going to be pushing to make sure that happens every year.”
In a release issued by the university Thursday, Alabama director of athletics Greg Byrne said that there were buyout measures inserted in Oats’ new contract “that show the long-term commitment between both parties.” Friday, Oats, who has quickly developed into one of the hottest coaching names in college basketball, reiterated that he is happy in Tuscaloosa and isn’t concerned with the heavy buyout clause in his new deal.
“I want to be here, so I don’t really care what the buyout is for me to leave here,” Oats said. “They’re guaranteeing me a lot of money. If they want me to pay a lot to leave, I don’t really care because I’m not planning on leaving.
"They made [the buyouts] both high. It shows their commitment to me. It shows our commitment as a family to this university, to this administration, to this city, this state. We love it here. We want to be here a long time.”
While Oats stated his commitment to Alabama several times Friday, he also expressed content with the support the university has shown the basketball program.
Coleman Coliseum has been due for a facelift for several years while Byrne has stated multiple times that a renovation is still a priority. However, financial hurdles — especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic — have delayed the process.
While Oats admits a renovated Coleman Coliseum would be nice for the fans, he stated that his team currently has the necessities to compete at a top level, bringing up the Tide’s upgraded practice facility.
“We spend 80 percent of our time in [the practice facility] I think is the best in the country, or at the top,” Oats said. “It’s in the upper echelon. Our practice gym, our weight room, our offices, the player lounge, video room, all of that stuff — I’ve been in tons of high-major places. When I was a high school coach, I used to go on all kinds of visits. This is as good as any setup anywhere.”
“Now, when we go to play the games, would it be nicer to have the fans right on top? Would it be nicer for all the fans out there to have a little bit better amenities? Would it be great to have the student section right down on the floor? Yeah, and hopefully that gets done here soon.
“But really, when we’re recruiting — which is the lifeblood of your program — you’re playing a game and there’s still 15,000 people that they can put in this arena and it gets very loud when it gets packed. Everything else we’re using is top-notch. If you come through and tour our player lounge, training room, video room, kitchen, the practice gym, the weight room is right off the practice gym — it’s what we need.”
