Alabama signs Nate Oats to long-term extension

Alabama agreed to a long-term contract extension with head coach Nate Oats, the school's director of athletics Greg Byrne announced Friday.

Oats' new deal will make him one of the five highest-paid coaches in college basketball, sources told ESPN's Jeff Borzello.

"We are excited about the success of our men's basketball program and Nate's continued commitment to the university," Byrne said in a statement. "We look forward to him leading our men's basketball program for many years to come."

The Crimson Tide poached Oats from Buffalo in March 2019. The 49-year-old has guided the program to five consecutive winning campaigns, including a 21-11 mark this season.

Alabama has captured two SEC regular-season titles and two conference tournaments crowns during Oats' tenure and made the Sweet 16 in two of the last three campaigns.

Oats was the 2021 SEC Coach of the Year. Last season, the Crimson Tide earned the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 overall seed for the first time in school history.