Louisville Coaching Candidate Profile: Alabama Head Coach Nate Oats
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program mutually parted ways with Chris Mack, ending a nearly four-year run with the Cardinals. As the coaching search progresses, we will break down each potential candidate, from the realistic to the far reaches. Next, we'll take a look at Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats.
Name: Nate Oats
Age: 47
Born and Raised: Watertown, Wisconsin
Playing Career: Maranatha Baptist University (D3)
Previous Experience: Head coach of Romulus High School in Detroit. Assistant coach at Buffalo from 2013 to 2015, as well as their head coach from 2015 to 2019 before taking Alabama job.
Connections to Louisville: None.
Pros: Oats has had a meteoric rise up the coaching ladder, as he was still coaching high school just a decade ago. Once he made the jump to college and eventually ran his own program at Buffalo, the Bulls had unprecedented success. Three of Buffalo's six total NCAA Tournament appearances came under Oats, and he was named MAC Coach of the Year twice. After a transition year at Alabama, he guided the Crimson Tide to an SEC Championship in 2021 - a year where they reached their first Sweet 16 since 2004, and he was also named SEC Coach of the Year. Not only did he play a role in developing Kira Lewis, Josh Primo and Herb Jones into NBA talents, but has secured top-15 recruiting classes in all three of his cycles at Alabama.
Cons: After a fantastic season by Alabama standards, the Crimson Tide has been underwhelming in Oats' third season at the helm. They've taken down top tier teams like Gonzaga, Houston and Baylor, but in the same breath have also lost to squads like Iona, Davidson, Missouri and Georgia. After being ranked No. 14 in the preseason, Bama is now 14-9 on the year. With it being so early in Oats' tenure with the Tide, it's hard to tell which year at the high-major level of college hoops is the anomaly for him - last season or this one.
Other Factors: A massive roadblock in even getting Oats to Louisville is his buyout. It currently sits at 12.57 million, and even when the 2021-22 season ends, it will still be at $9.36 million. Another thing to take into account, however unfair to Oats it may be, is that he is an offense-first style coach, which runs against what Louisville has been traditionally known for over the decades.
Odds of becoming Louisville's next head coach: Low to Moderate. Nate Oats should absolutely be on the short list of coaches being considered. But what really holds him back from being a more likely candidate is that huge buyout. Personally, I don't think Oats is the kind of coach Louisville boosters would be willing to help chip in to buy out.
Other Candidates:
(Photo of Nate Oats: Gary Cosby Jr. - USA TODAY Sports)
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