Why Nate Oats Hasn't Received Contract Extension from Alabama Yet

CHICAGO — Alabama head coach Nate Oats is inching towards a higher salary, but hands have not been shook and ink has not hit the paper yet.

Oats received an extension before the Crimson Tide's Final Four run during the 2023-24 season. As 4-seed Alabama is set to face 1-seed Michigan in the Sweet 16, Oats explained why a new deal hasn't been made yet.

"Well, one is the contract they gave me back when we did that one was pretty good," Oats said on Thursday in Chicago. "Listen, I say this a lot. I am a high school coach that caught a couple breaks in life, and there's probably high school coaches better than me out there that just didn't get the breaks. As a matter of fact, I know there's high school coaches better than me.

"When my salary goes up a half million dollars every year — you know how long it took me to make a half million dollars at Romulus [High School]? I got paid 4,700 a year to coach basketball for 11 years. So I'm not going to them asking them to redo — we redid the contract and I went to a Final Four. And we didn't redo it, because they got good faith in me and I got good faith in them.

"We've had discussions. I'm open to redoing them. But I'm not really looking to leave. I'm pretty honest with them. If they come up with one that makes sense to do, it's good. I'd love to stay there (Alabama). But I'm not really looking [elsewhere]."

This news comes two days after North Carolina fired head coach Hubert Davis. Oats' name has been listed as a potential successor for the Blue Blood program, but he said on Thursday that he's "not a guy that's looking to get out of here anytime soon."

That said, with his committment fully invested in the Crimson Tide, has Alabama given Oats an offer he can't refuse?

"No, I don't have an offer in hand, but we've had some discussions, and it's probably getting close," Oats said. "We'll see where it takes us. I feel like I'm probably too honest with everybody, includes you guys in the media, and sometimes you use it against me, which is fine. I'm going to be honest, I'm going to tell you what I'm thinking. I'm probably too honest with the administration. I'm not looking to leave.

"They don't need to be in a huge rush to fix a really good contract that I've got right now. On March 15 my salary went up $500,000. I still can't believe I'm getting paid this much. I'm coaching basketball. Guys, I did this thing free at Maranatha for three years. I got paid $500 out of the Warhawk fund at Whitewater a year for the next two years. I made 4,700 dollars a year for 11 years.

"So add it up. For the first 16 years I coached basketball, it was less than $50,000 total. My salary goes up a half million dollars every year. Glorified PE teacher making too much money right now. I'm not going to complain."

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