Alabama’s Nate Oats ‘Fully Committed’ to School amid Kentucky, John Calipari Rumors

Doric SamApril 9, 2024

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After John Calipari reportedly departed Kentucky to accept a head coaching position at Arkansas, one of the most popular names floated as his potential replacement was Alabama’s Nate Oats.

However, Oats quickly put an end to that chatter by announcing on social media that he is “fully committed” to the Crimson Tide:

Nate Oats @nate_oatspic.twitter.com/s8WNow2NMO

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne released a statement echoing Oats’ sentiments:

Greg Byrne @Greg_Byrnehttps://t.co/2kEoHzdAU1 https://t.co/R3DIMHSfFp pic.twitter.com/lFw8WRFC77

During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Monday, Seth Davis of CBS Sports named Oats as a candidate he thinks would “crush it” at Kentucky if he pursued the job. However, Davis noted that Oats’ $18 million buyout would make it “a non-starter” for him to leave Alabama.

Oats has been one of the fastest-rising coaches in college basketball for the impressive job he’s done with the Crimson Tide. In five seasons, he’s led the team to a 117-54 record, a 62-28 record in SEC games, two SEC titles and four NCAA tournament appearances. Alabama reached the Final Four this year for the first time in program history.

In addition to Oats turning down Kentucky, former Villanova head coach Jay Wright also removed his name from the list of candidates. Before Monday’s national championship game between UConn and Purdue, Wright, who is now an analyst for CBS, gave a definitive “no” when asked if he would be interested in the vacancy.

Kentucky is still one of the most high-profile programs in college basketball, and the team is hoping to find the right person to lead it back to prominence after its recent struggles under Calipari. The Wildcats haven’t made it past the second round of the NCAA tournament since 2019.