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Nate Oats opens up on reported NBA interest, why he is happy to stay at Alabama

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp05/14/25
NateOatsNewarkPractice
Mar 26, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats during a practice session in preparation for an East Regional semifinal game against the Brigham Young Cougars at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In the six years that Nate Oats has been at Alabama now, every year the rumor mill seems to spin up in the offseason. Will someone poach the excellent coach?

Turns out, the purported interest has stopped short of anything concrete materializing. Oats explained as much Wednesday on The Paul Finebaum Show.

“In the NBA, there may have been some rumors. There’s been no real offers,” Oats said. “I’ve got daughters still in high school. I’m not sure I want that travel schedule right now, to be honest with you. I like our travel schedule in college a lot better than what the NBA’s is. So there hasn’t been a real need for me to move.”

Alabama has been elite under Nate Oats’ watch. The program has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five years, dating back to the COVID-19 interrupted 2019-20 campaign.

Those trips to the Big Dance have produced the program’s first Final Four run, as well as a trip to the Elite Eight and two trips to the Sweet 16.

The Crimson Tide have been as competitive in March as any team in the last half decade. That has contributed to Nate Oats being perfectly comfortable in Tuscaloosa.

“I haven’t seen the need to move, to be honest with you,” Oats said. “I feel like we’ve been the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, we’ve made a Final Four, we’ve won more SEC championships than anybody in the SEC since we’ve been here. So we can win at the highest level here.”

There’s also a loyalty factor at play. That runs deep for Nate Oats.

“Look, few things. One is the people have been great to me,” he said. “Greg Byrne gave me the chance when nobody else at a high major hired me out of Buffalo, so there’s a lot of loyalty in that.”

Then there’s the unfinished business element of things. Alabama has tasted high-level success. And after watching conference opponent Florida break through the barrier to win a national title, the hunger is more palpable than ever for Nate Oats.

“I enjoy it where I’m at. The people treat us well,” Oats said. “We’re winning at a high level. So I’d like to win the whole thing here sooner rather than later. That’s the goal.”