Report: Nate Oats' extension at Alabama puts him among highest-paid coaches
Alabama coach Nate Oats is set to become one of the highest-paid coaches in the NCAA after agreeing to a contract extension Friday. The Crimson Tide coach’s new deal is set to be approved by the Alabama Board of Trustees on Monday.
According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Oats and Alabama agreed to a long-term contract extension. The deal will make Oats one of the five highest-paid coaches in the country.
Following Alabama's loss to Florida in the SEC tournament Friday night, Oats commented on his extension.
“I’ve had a really good five years here working with Greg and Dr. [Stuart] Bell and the board and just everybody around the school,” Oats said. “I love it here. We’ve turned the program around. We’re a little disappointed tonight, obviously. We’d like to be playing tomorrow, playing for an SEC Tournament championship. But we’re in the NCAA tournament. The 13 years before we got here, they’d only played in two. This will be four straight for us.
“We’ve got the program headed in the right direction. We’ve got the commitment from the administration that they’re going to continue to support us in a way that I feel like we can compete to be a top 10, top 25 team year in, year out. I appreciate their support in keeping me here, taking my name out of some of the other job openings that are there."
Last February, Oats extended his current deal two more seasons to a total of six years through March, 2029. The base fee of that contract began at $4.1 million, rising by $200 thousand every season after the 2024 campaign. Oats’ current buyout is $12 million and was expected to drop to $10 million after the 2024/25 season and $7 million after the 2025/26 season. Oats’ new deal at Alabama is expected to include a hefty buyout.
“We are excited about the success of our men’s basketball program an Nate’s continued commitment to the University," Alabama Athletic Director Greg Byrne said in a statement on social media earlier Friday. "We look forward to him leading our men’s basketball program for many years to come.”
In five seasons with Alabama, Oats has led the Crimson Tide to a pair of SEC regular season and conference tournament titles. This year will mark his fourth appearance in the NCAA tournament. Oats is 113-53 during his time at Alabama.