The University of Alabama has secured men’s basketball coach Nate Oats with a new contract extension that elevates him into the ranks of college basketball’s top five highest-paid coaches, athletic director Greg Byrne revealed Sunday on social media.
Byrne shared in his statement that “Appropriate members of The Board of Trustees have been notified of the proposed terms of the new agreement and it will soon be formally approved through the Board process.”
On his personal social media account, Byrne expressed confidence in the arrangement, writing “We are good! He’s not going anywhere.”
The new agreement represents Oats’ third contract extension within a four-year span. His most recent extension from early 2024 was set to run until March 2030, with compensation reaching $6.02 million for the 2026-27 academic year.
While specific financial terms of the latest deal remain undisclosed, USA Today reports that the nation’s five highest-compensated coaches at public universities earned no less than $6.1 million during the 2024-25 season. Oats previously ranked ninth nationally with a $5 million base salary.
The salary increase is expected to place Oats alongside elite coaches including Kansas’ Bill Self, Arkansas’ John Calipari, UConn’s Dan Hurley, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, and Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd. Arizona recently announced Lloyd’s five-year extension beginning at $7.2 million, reportedly to prevent his departure for the vacant North Carolina position.
Alabama’s motivation for the new contract may stem from similar concerns about losing their successful coach.
When questioned about potential interest from North Carolina on March 26, Oats stated: “As long as we’re able to compete to win championships here — SEC, national championships. We haven’t done that here yet — I’d love to be the coach to bring us our first national championship.”
He continued: “To me, there’s absolutely no reason to leave here. While it’s flattering that a high school guy that caught a couple of breaks would be mentioned with some of these jobs, because they’ve got a lot of tradition, I’m not a guy that’s looking to get out of here any time soon.”
The 51-year-old coach has guided Alabama since 2019, accumulating a 170-73 record with a .700 winning percentage across seven seasons. Under his leadership, the Crimson Tide achieved a program milestone by reaching six consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Alabama’s current season ended with a Sweet Sixteen loss to Michigan, who will compete for the National Championship on Monday.
Oats reached his greatest postseason success during the 2023-24 campaign when he guided Alabama to the Final Four as a No. 4 seed. The Crimson Tide’s run concluded with a defeat to eventual champion UConn.
Throughout his tenure, Oats has led Alabama to at least two NCAA Tournament victories in five of his six tournament appearances with the program.
