Rodney Terry has not officially been let go as the Texas head basketball coach, but the Longhorns' coaching search appears to be in full swing. It's no surprise that Texas, with some of the deepest pockets in collegiate athletics, would be looking to make a homerun hire.
According to Kirk Bohls of the Houston Chronicle, one of the names Texas has considered is Alabama's Nate Oats, though those conversations did not go anywhere:
Texas still talking to Sean Miller's people about the basketball job but nothing's done. Chris Del Conte leaves "no stone unturned," source tells Houston Chronicle, even considered St. John's Rick Pitino, Illinois' Brad Underwood and Alabama's Nate Oats, those didn't go anywhere.
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) March 23, 2025
It sounds like a matter of when, not if, that Texas moves on. Sean Miller of Xavier is the popular name in all circles now. The former Arizona head coach has the pedigree that would invigorate the Texas fanbase.
Oats is always a popular name in coaching carousels. He was rumored to be near the top of the Kentucky board after John Calipari left for Arkansas last offseason. Those rumors ended up landing Oats a significant contract extension from Alabama before the Crimson Tide even made the run to the Final Four. It's that contract extension that will make it difficult for any other team to pull him out of Tuscaloosa in the near future.
Nate Oats' buyout at Alabama is significant
If another team wants to hire Oats, they would have to be prepared to pay a significant buyout. Between now and March 31st of 2026, his buyout number is $18 million. After that and until March 31st of 2027, his buyout is $10 million. After that it comes down to $4 million for the following year.
It makes it unlikely that Oats will be on the move in the next couple of coaching cycles as a result. If a team like Texas really wanted, $18 million wouldn't stop them. But Oats has shown no interest in leaving Alabama right now.
That could change in the future, but I've always felt like if Oats chases another job down the road it is likely to be in the NBA. He runs an NBA system and is competitive enough that he might want to find out if he can coach at the highest level, eventually.
He has led Alabama to a tremendous amount of success and his name will always come up in coaching searches for major programs. That's a good thing. It means the Crimson Tide has a desirable coach and others look at what Alabama is doing with tremendous envy.