Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats signed a new contract with the program, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne announced Friday.
The long-term extension will make Oats one of the five highest-paid coaches in the country, according to ESPN. His contract will go before the Board of Trustees for approval next week.
“We are excited about the success of our men’s basketball program and Nate’s continued commitment to the university,” Byrne said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We look forward to him leading our men’s basketball program for many years to come.”
Oats’ extension is a major step in Alabama’s continued pursuit of building a legitimate college basketball powerhouse. In five seasons under the coach, the Crimson Tide have compiled a 113-52 overall record and a 62-28 SEC record — a 69 percent winning percentage in both categories, including a pair of SEC regular season championships (2021, 2023) and SEC Tournament championships (2021, 2023).
— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) March 15, 2024
This season has arguably marked Oats’ best coaching job. Despite losing all three assistant coaches to Division I head coaching jobs during the offseason and 75 percent of the roster, including first-round picks Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney, Alabama finished the regular season as a Top 20 team in the AP poll with a 21-10 record and third place in the SEC at 13-5. Alabama, which fell to San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen last year, plays Florida in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals Friday.
When Alabama is selected for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, it will mark the team’s fourth appearance with Oats, as many as Alabama had in the 15 seasons before his arrival.
Oats has transformed Alabama into a program that expects to perennially contend at the highest level of the sport. Oats’ long-term deal is a major step by Byrne, and now, the attention turns to how Alabama will support Oats to elevate the program further. This includes making continued strides at a new basketball arena, strengthening the NIL support for men’s basketball and increasing the salary pool for assistant coaches to ensure Oats can retain coaches and also attract high-level coaches to supplement the program.
Oats signed an extension last February to remain with the program through 2029. Now, he’s inked another one, demonstrating Oats’ interest level nationally and the commitment by Alabama to keep him in place.
For now, Oats’ extension is an assurance to Alabama fans that he will remain in Tuscaloosa amid serious interest from other schools as openings become available. As Alabama prepares for another SEC Tournament run this weekend and an NCAA Tournament run next week, the program can exhale knowing one of the best coaches in the sport has committed to staying for years to come.
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(Photo: Jordan Prather / USA Today)
