Bama makes Oats among 5 highest-paid coaches

05.04.2026, 21:18 espn.com

Alabama coach Nate Oats has signed a new contract that will make him one of the five highest-paid college basketball coaches in the country, the school announced Sunday.

Oats' new deal will run through the 2031-32 season, sources told ESPN.

Athletic director Greg Byrne said the contract will be formally approved through the board process soon.

Oats has turned Alabama into one of the most consistent programs in college basketball since arriving in Tuscaloosa in 2019. He has guided the Crimson Tide to five Sweet 16 appearances in the past six years, including a Final Four run in 2024.

Alabama won a pair of SEC regular-season championships during that span and earned the program's first-ever No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament.

Oats last received a contract extension in March 2024.

While not directly linked to the North Carolina vacancy, Oats is the third potential candidate to receive a contract extension since Hubert Davis was fired. Vanderbilt's Mark Byington signed a long-term extension, while Arizona's Tommy Lloyd agreed to a lucrative new contract after a public pursuit from the Tar Heels.