Alabama’s Nate Oats shuts down Kentucky rumors with firm commitment after Final Four run

Nate Oats has just come off a fantastic Final Four run with the Alabama basketball program. It comes as no one's surprise that a lot of programs would want to poach him away from this squad. Kentucky, specifically, is a big blue blood on the hunt for a new head coach because John Calipari left for Arkansas. Will the leader of the Crimson Tide be headed anywhere else in the offseason? It looks like fans just got an answer.

Nate Oats will not be leaving the Alabama basketball program. He made the choice despite rumblings of him leaving to replace John Calipari in Kentucky. The Crimson Tide head honcho is looking to build on his Final Four success as he addressed the team's fans in his latest post on X.

“I am fully committed to this team and to this University. We have already accomplished some great things here, and there is nothing I want more than for The University of Alabama to win its first national championship in men's basketball. Despite any rumors to the contrary, rest assured that I will continue that pursuit as your head coach. Roll Tide!” Nate Oats wrote.

Alabama has secured its head honcho for the near future. If Kentucky or any big program did try to get him, they would be faced with a huge cost. Oats has an $18 million buyout in his contract. This is one of the largest out of any college basketball coach. So, he is pretty much ensured for the rest of his contract.

However, Oats will have to adjust and develop players at a faster pace. With the exit of Mark Sears and Grant Nelson from his program, he will try to look for other stars in the Crimson Tide system. This will be a temporary problem because of how great Oats has been in developing talent. He already has a track record of success with guys like Herb Jones, Josh Primo, Brandon Miller, Noah Clowney, JD Davison, and Kira Lewis.

Alabama's recent success

No one thought the Crimson Tide would make it to the Final Four. Alabama was behind Tennessee in the SEC after they were just able to win 13 conference games while suffering five losses. However, Oats and his squad did manage to have 25 total entries in the win column throughout the season. An early exit in the conference tournament against Florida also did not help. Nonetheless, they still carried on to the NCAA Tournament with their meager momentum.

Alabama faced Charleston in the first round and they got away with a sizeable lead. They moved on to the Round of 32 with a 109 to 96 scoreline. Grand Canyon was next and they ended that game pretty easily. The Crimson Tide mopped the floor with them, 72 to 61. North Carolina was the biggest opponent they had yet. But, RJ Davis and Armando Bacot could not close out in the clutch. Grant Nelson took over as Alabama forced the number-one seed to tumble in the Sweet Sixteen.

Clemson was next for them and the Crimson Tide were able to edge them out. They struggled on offense for a bit but still managed to win with an 82 to 89 score. Unfortunately, Dan Hurley and UConn had to meet them. Oats got demolished and their season ended in the Final Four.