Alabama makes Nate Oates one of the 5 highest paid coaches

Alabama coach Nate Oates 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.

Oates’ new contract runs through the 2031-32 season, sources told ESPN.

Athletic director Greg Byrne said the deal will be officially approved soon through the board process.

Oats has turned Alabama into one of the most consistent programs in men’s college basketball since arriving in Tuscaloosa in 2019. He has guided the Crimson Tide to five Sweet 16 appearances over the last 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 No. 1 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Oates’ last contract expired in March 2024.

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