Nate Oats Is A Glorified P.E. Teacher Making Enough Money, So North Carolina Would Be Wasting Its Time

CHICAGO — Nate Oats might be the head coach at Alabama, but he's also just a physical education teacher that is living out a dream in Tuscaloosa.

Now that the college basketball world has been flipped upside down, with North Carolina firing Hubert Davis and Will Wade returning to LSU, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Nate Oats would have his name mentioned for certain openings. 

While there have been plenty of distractions off the court in his time at Alabama, with Ayden Holloway's arrest on marijuana charges being the latest, there is no denying that Nate Oats is one helluva basketball coach. 

Sure, some people don't agree with how he has handled certain situations, but even with the off-court drama, he's continued to find success when the whistle blows. 

That part makes him an attractive candidate for other jobs, which is why you continue to see his name at least tied to other positions that could open. 

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But, as his team prepares to play Michigan on Friday, even Nate Oats has folks convinced that he's just a glorified teacher, just satisfied with a contract extension two years ago. 

"They don't need to be in a huge rush to fix a really good contract that I've got right now. On March 15, my salary went up $500,000. I still can't believe I'm getting paid this much," Nate Oats joked. "I'm coaching basketball. Guys, I did this thing free at Maranatha for three years. I got paid $500 out of the Warhawk fund at Whitewater a year for the next two years. I made $47,000 dollars a year for 11 years.

"So add it up. For the first 16 years I coached basketball, it was less than $50,000 total. My salary goes up a half million dollars every year. Glorified P.E. teacher making too much money right now. I'm not going to complain."

Nate Oats Is A Glorified P.E. Teacher Making Enough Money, So North Carolina Would Be Wasting Its Time

Grass Isn't Always Greener In College Athletics

I think it's fair to say Nate Oats is satisfied with where he's at. And, if we're being honest, he's not chasing jobs right now and doesn't need the money. Even if North Carolina came calling, it doesn't sound as though he's interested in looking around. 

"Yeah, it's not the first time. Look, a lot of respect to the other programs that may open and they've got great basketball tradition. As a young high school coach, maybe – shoot, I didn't think I'd even be in this spot to be honest with you that long ago.

"If you've gotten to know me, I'm not a guy that's trying to always jump around. The grass is not always greener. I love Alabama. My girls love Alabama. They're here with me."

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Maybe he's right, the grass might not be greener even at North Carolina. If we're being honest, we all just witnessed Will Wade leave NC State for LSU, so just about anything can happen in college athletics. 

But, with his team once again playing in the Sweet Sixteen, it looks as though Nate Oats is in Alabama for the long haul. 

Can he win a national championship at Alabama? That part is unknown, and there's really no way to predict it. But Nate Oats is darn sure going to give it a shot, and doesn't plan on chasing another job in the process.

"I'd love to be the coach to bring us our first National Championship. We got to a Final Four. To me there's absolutely no reason to leave here."