Nate Oats is not going to North Carolina or to any of the other programs that view him as the key to championship success. With a new deal, the Alabama basketball head coach will continue his quest to bring the Crimson Tide an NCAA Tournament Championship.
Oats staying in Tuscaloosa was no surprise. What was surprising was the news that Oats will receive a significant boost in player payroll funds. According to al.com's Nick Kelly, the player payroll budget for Oats will increase from $8M in the 2025-26 season to $12M in the 2026-27 season. Given that many top players love the Oats' system of play and the freedom he allows his players on the court, Oats is known to get a discount. How much less some players are willing to take to play for Oats is not known, but a guess is that $12M for Alabama is equivalent to $15M-$16M for other programs.
On Rich Eisen's show, Seth Greenberg recently spoke about "necessary" player budgets. Greenberg defined the threshold to compete with the top programs at $12M. Greenberg added that the funds are just one ingredient for success, as Kentucky showed with its 2025-26 $22M player budget.
Nate Oats and Alabama Basketball can win it all
What excites Alabama basketball fans is that Nate Oats has shown expertise in the other necessary components. Alabama must have players that fit its system, and team chemistry must create a tight-knit roster. Except for big men, Oats has been good at player evaluations to fit his system. He is adept at building championship-level team chemistry.
Some detractors argue that the Oats' system can never win it all. That claim will continue until Oats wins college basketball's last April game. Alabama is trending in that direction. The Crimson Tide's last three NCAA Tournament losses have come against 1-seeds. One of them, UConn, won the 2025 NCAA Tournament Championship. Michigan might win it this year.
For Alabama basketball fans, the wait until that first game next November will be long. But April player retention and acquisitions will provide a strong clue to how much better the Crimson Tide will be in the 2026-27 season.