Nate Oats Confirms He's 'Fully Committed' to Alabama Basketball

After long-time Kentucky men's basketball head coach John Calipari left Kentucky and signed with Arkansas on Sunday night, many speculated that Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats would be a top candidate to fill the Wildcats' anticipated role

Mar 30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats celebrates with the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After long-time Kentucky men's basketball head coach John Calipari left Kentucky and signed with Arkansas on Sunday night, many speculated that Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats would be a top candidate to fill the Wildcats' anticipated role.

However, on Monday night, Oats, who just led Alabama to its first Final Four appearance in school history, cleared the rumors after making a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

"Bama Nation,

I am fully committed to this team and to this University," Oats said. "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!"

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne acknowledged the news shortly after with a message on X.

"We're committed to supporting Nate Oats as he continues to lead Alabama men's basketball in its pursuit of a national championship and encourage our fans to be a part of that by supporting Yea Alabama," Byrne said. " I know I've said this before but want to reiterate how important this is with the changing landscape in college athletics. Nate and I talk regularly about the priorities of the program and NIL is at the forefront, as is a day-to-day development space for our team, which we are taking steps to address as we speak. We appreciate your support through Yea Alabama and look forward to celebrating more championships in years to come.

Roll Tide!"

In just five seasons thus far at Alabama, Oats is the fastest coach in school history to 100 wins as he's tallied two SEC regular season titles, two SEC Tournament championships, and of course, the school's first-ever trip to the Final Four.