Greg Byrne must move quickly.
Run, don't walk. It's time to extend Nate Oats' contract once again to keep him in Tuscaloosa for the foreseeable future. Make it a lifetime contract if need be. Write him a blank check for NIL. Whatever it takes.
Because another Blue Blood program might be calling soon.
North Carolina officially parted ways with Hubert Davis on Tuesday night, moving on after five seasons and back-to-back years of getting knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round.
With a program with the reach and resources of the Tar Heels, nobody is safe. Early names being tossed around are the likes of Florida's Todd Golden, who just won a National Championship a year ago, and Michigan's Dusty May, who may be just a few weeks away from winning a National Championship himself.
Nobody is safe.
North Carolina just turned up the pressure on Alabama to lock up Nate Oats
Effective April 1st, Oats' buyout drops from $18 million to $10 million. That's still a significant number, and one that could discourage the Tar Heels from pursuing the Crimson Tide boss during this cycle, especially considering they owe Davis over $5 million.
That seems like a much smaller number than, say, Kalen DeBoer's buyout for football, or the buyout that Texas A&M paid Jimbo Fisher a couple of years ago, but football money and basketball money are two distinctly different things. Even for the basketball blue bloods.
But whether or not Oats would be a realistic candidate at UNC - or if he would even be interested - it's important that Byrne and the University of Alabama's administration do everything it can to keep Oats happy and comfortable in Tuscaloosa.
He's the best coach in program history already, accomplishing things in his seven seasons on the bench that no long-term Alabama basketball fans ever dreamed possible.
After an annihilation of Texas Tech on Sunday, the Crimson Tide advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive season. An upset win over Michigan on Friday would punch Alabama's ticket to the Elite Eight for the third consecutive year, where they would be one win away from the program's second-ever Final Four, and second in three seasons.
Oats is one of college basketball's premier coaches. This is not the first time - nor will it be the last - that his name is linked with this kind of job.
Two years ago, amid Alabama's Final Four run, Oats was linked to the Kentucky vacancy before the Wildcats settled on Mark Pope. Oats and Alabama agreed to a contract extension amid that speculation.
Hopefully, lightning is about to strike again, and Byrne and Oats will get something done, preferably before Friday night's Sweet 16 showdown against Michigan.