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Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats' new contract, buyout revealed

alexander-11by: Wilson Alexander04/22/26whalexander_

Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats signed a new contract extension with the school earlier this month, and that deal was approved Wednesday by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees compensation committee.

Oats will now make an average of $7.25 million per year over the course of an agreement that runs through March 2032. Oats’ previous contract ended in March 2030 and paid him an average of $6.275 million per year.

If Oats were to leave Alabama, the new contract includes a buyout of $15 million through March 2027 and $12 million through March 2028. He does not have a buyout after that date. Under the terms of his previous deal, his buyout dropped to $4 million in April 2027.

Oats’ salary begins at $7.25 million in Year 1. It fluctuates over the course of the deal, dropping to $7.1 million the next year before increasing in annual increments until it reaches $7.4 million in the 2031 season. It then drops again the next year to $7.25 million again.

For now, Oats ranks among the five highest-paid college basketball coaches in the country. According to a USA Today database, Kansas’ Bill Self leads the country at $8.8 million, followed by UConn’s Dan Hurley and Arkansas’ John Calipari. New UNC coach Michael Malone’s salary begins at $7.5 million in his first year.

If Alabama fired Oats without cause, it would owe him the entirety of his remaining compensation. However, his contract includes an offset clause that states he has to try to land another head coaching job with an average annual salary of at least $4 million. In that scenario, Alabama would pay the difference.

Oats, 51, has turned Alabama into a consistent program since he took over ahead of the 2019-20 season. He has led the Crimson Tide to five Sweet 16 appearances, including their first Final Four berth in 2024. Alabama has also won two SEC regular-season championships and two SEC tournament titles.

Though Oats was not directly linked to the opening at UNC, the contract extension came as the Tar Heels searched for their replacement for Hubert Davis. UNC ultimately hired Malone.