Nate Oats

Nate Oats secured Romulus High School’s first state title in 27 years during the 2012-13 season, capping an eleven-year tenure as head coach where he compiled an impressive 222-52 record. His remarkable success at the high school level, which included multiple coach of the year honors, paved the way for his transition to collegiate coaching in 2013 as an assistant coach for the University of Buffalo. In 2015, Oats was appointed head coach at the University of Buffalo, where he orchestrated unprecedented success over four seasons. He was further recognized for his coaching prowess as the MAC Coach of the Year in both 2018 and 2019, also leading the team to MAC Regular Season Champion titles in those same years.

Building on this collegiate success, Oats was named head men’s basketball coach at the University of Alabama in 2019. His tenure has profoundly revitalized the Crimson Tide program, marked by a formidable 145-63 record. Oats was honored as the SEC Coach of the Year in 2021, consistently demonstrating a commitment to player development that has resulted in multiple NBA Draft picks. Beyond the court, Oats champions academic excellence and community engagement, evidenced by numerous players earning SEC Academic Honor Roll distinctions and the team consistently maintaining a GPA above 3.0.

His strategic recruiting has also yielded top-10 classes in both 2020 and 2021, attracting multiple five-star prospects and McDonald’s All-Americans.