Nate Oats and No. 4 seed Alabama are set to face No. 1 seed Michigan in the Sweet 16 on Friday at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
At the same time, Oats’ name has been linked to the North Carolina opening after the program moved on from Hubert Davis.
Oats was asked about his name being linked to other jobs, but it sure doesn’t sound like the Alabama coach is thinking of leaving, at least for now.
“If you’ve gotten to know me, you know I’m not a guy trying to jump around,” Oats said, via Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated. “Grass isn’t always greener. I love Alabama, my girls love Alabama. As long as we’re able to compete to win championships here, I’d love to be the coach to bring a national championship here.”
“There’s absolutely no reason to leave here,” Oats added. “I’m not a guy looking to get out of here any time soon.”
Oats also said he is “not looking to leave” and called himself a “glorified P.E. teacher” when asked about progress regarding a re-negotiated contract.
Nate Oats, asked contract re-negotiations, said there have been discussions, but "I'm not looking to leave, so they don't need to be in a huge rush to fix a really good contract. … I'm a glorified P.E. teacher making too much money right now, so I'm not going to complain."
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 26, 2026
Oats began his run as a head coach at Buffalo in 2015. He compiled a 96-43 record in four seasons, including three MAC tournament titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances, before being hired by Alabama following the 2018-19 season.
Alabama went 16-15 in Oats’ first season, but the Crimson Tide has made the NCAA Tournament every year since, including a Final Four trip in 2024.
Oats’ name was linked to the North Carolina opening right away, with others including Todd Golden, Tommy Lloyd, Dusty May, Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan and former Butler coach Brad Stevens, who already removed himself from consideration.
So it seems that the Tar Heels are hunting for a big fish after moving on from Davis, but Oats doesn’t appear to be the guy headed to Chapel Hill.
