Nate Oats 'Not Going Anywhere'
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Ten years ago, Nate Oats was getting $4,500 on top of his teaching salary to coach high school basketball in Detroit. Now he's set to make a minimum of $4.5 million per year over the next six years after a new contract extension was approved Friday morning to continue being the head basketball coach at Alabama.
"We’ve wanted to stay here," Oats said in a Friday press conference after the contract extension was approved. "We’re having a successful season. It’s great to have the players we have. The extension’s done. We’re not going anywhere, didn’t want to go anywhere, so it just puts to rest all those rumors."
One of his primary reasons for staying in Tuscaloosa is his family. Oats has three daughters with the oldest being a freshman at the University of Alabama. The head coach said his family loves living in Alabama, and he has already moved his girls around enough.
Oats is in the middle of his fourth season as the head coach of the Crimson Tide with Alabama ranked No. 4 in the country and undefeated in SEC play. With the success he's had in Tuscaloosa, his name has been a hot commodity for job openings like at Texas or any potential jobs that could open up at the end of the season.
According to Oats, there have been questions on the recruiting trail about his status at Alabama, but he hopes this contract news will clear any confusion up. Because it all goes through his agent, Oats said he personally hasn't taken any calls from other schools that might be interested and is unaware if there even were any.
"I basically told my agent to get it worked out here," Oats said. "I don't want to go anywhere...People try to use it against you in recruiting. It’s obviously been brought up in recruiting. ‘Is he going to be there or not?’ I’ve been asked that by recruits. The answer's real easy now. I'm not going anywhere. The buyout’s big for a reason because I don't plan on leaving anywhere."
In the new contract, his buyout would be $12 million for the first year, $10 million for the second, $7 million for the third and $1 million for the fourth. This is one of the biggest factors in keeping Oats locked in with the Crimson Tide. He joked that he's not far enough removed from his high-school coaching days to have any sort of interest in paying a $12 million buyout.
Another concern about keeping Oats at Alabama before the new contract is the seemingly lack of progress on the new arena that was announced as part of the Crimson Standard project back in February. The latest estimates from director of athletics Greg Byrne are around $250 million. Oats said there are already a number of pledged donors, but they still need more financial support.
"It is 100 percent a priority for Greg, myself, the entire athletic department, the university as a whole, and they’re working on getting it done," Oats said. "But it’s a process. They’re not putting a shovel in the ground next week that I know of.”
Crimson Tide senior point guard Jahvon Quinerly is the only scholarship player that has been with Oats all four years he's been in Tuscaloosa. Quinerly was happy about the news of the contract extension and said one of the biggest reasons for Oats' success as a coach is his ability to instill confidence in his players.
"That’s why he gets the best out of his guys," Quinerly said. "That’s why you see guys shoot the ball so well sometimes. Guys are very confident, and he’s big on that.”
Friday's press conference also served as a preview for the LSU game Saturday. The Crimson Tide is currently 9-0 in the SEC and exactly halfway through conference play. Oats said they are trying to be better in the second half of conference play than the first.
See also:
How to Watch: No. 4 Alabama Basketball at LSU
Midseason Report Card: Grading No. 4 Alabama Halfway Through Conference Play
