Nate Oats Reflects on the Passing of Luke Ratliff: "He's What Embodies College Basketball"

Oats attended Ratliff's funeral over the weekend in North Carolina

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — During a press conference with the media to discuss Wednesday's late-signing period, Alabama basketball coach took a moment to remember Cameron Luke Ratliff, an Alabama student and Crimson Tide superfan that passed away on April 2 due to complications with COVID-19.

Oats held back tears when he discussed what Ratliff — known as 'Fluffapotamus' or simply 'Fluff' to Alabama fans — meant to the organization and discussed his attending the funeral in North Carolina over the weekend.

"I was at the funeral Sunday," Oats said. "It was a tough deal standing up there in front of a family that lost their son at way to early of an age. That was hard. I met the dad at South Carolina game, I met the mom but to see them in those circumstances was not easy.

"We're going to find a way to honor Fluff here. Hopefully keep his legacy around the program for as long as I'm here, hopefully a lot longer than that. I mean, he's what embodies college basketball and college sports."

Ratliff attended almost every Alabama basketball game during his four years in Tuscaloosa. Even prior to becoming the leader of the Crimson Chaos — the student section in Coleman Coliseum — Ratliff was already one of the most popular students in the section in recent memory.

Ratliff's social media presence was legendary among Crimson Tide fans. While Ratliff was quick to dish out the insults to other fanbases and their players and coaches, he was also just as quick to make amends. During the last couple of seasons, he even met with coaches after games like South Carolina's Frank Martin and Auburn's Bruce Pearl, laughing with them and shaking hands with them despite hurling words at them mere moments before.

It was Ratliff's passion for his team that will cement his legacy at Alabama.

"He's what embodies college athletics," Oats said. "You've got a student section that's passionate about their team, about their sport, about the individual players on the team, the coaching staff — I just felt like he was one of us. I mean, he'd been over to my house in the fall. He'd hung out with Bryan [Hodgson] at his house — Bryan had taken him to dinner at Chuck's on Wednesday the night before he was admitted to the hospital, two days before he passed away."

Oats went on to reiterate that Ratliff was not just a fan, but was essentially a part of the team.

"We felt like he was one of us, so to lose one of us is not easy," Oats said. "And we're going to do everything we can to honor his legacy here and I my heart goes out to the family but we're going to keep him and his spirit and what he's about kindled around here and I'm glad the last season that he was able to participate in ended up being as good of a season.

"Tough to lose him but we're going to honor his legacy moving forward."