Nate Oats to Alabama

[cuse10]

Huge hire for Alabama and big loss for Buffalo. They had to have known it was coming hence the extension. What was the buyout?

 

[jgeorge322]

You knew that was coming. Senior laden team and two successful NCAA tourney appearances it was only a matter of time before a Power 5 school came calling.

Bingo, strike while iron is hot, team won’t be as good next year, causing his market value to decline. Guess that buyout wasnt too prohibitive, although alabama has money out the wazoo.

 

[OrangeAl]

The extension signed last week was a present from Oats to UB.

Yeah, hope that extension had a hefty buyout.

 

[cuse10]

Literally didn't waste any time.

 

[walsh2012]

Let him have three years at Bama then come home when JB retires

 

[JeremyCuse]

Bingo, strike while iron is hot, team won’t be as good next year, causing his market value to decline. Guess that buyout wasnt too prohibitive, although alabama has money out the wazoo.

For a school like Bama it was no problem. Its the equivalent of Texas A&M or Georgia or somebody like that going after Dino by offering like 6 mill a year. They can throw money at him that UB doesn't have a prayer of matching. As you noted it also make sense for him to strike now while his stock is as high as it will probably get. If he passes an opportunity up now and has a slightly over .500 team next year he will have cost himself millions. Bama I think is a good choice to, under the radar school with fball leading the way obviously that should give him at least 3 years to see what he can do before he really has to worry about being fired.

 

[OttoMets]

This is like that Cornell guy who jumped for the Boston College job.

Only Chestnut Hill is about a million times nicer than Tuscaloosa.

Oh well, his business, not mine. But LOL at that life choice.

 

[JOC44]

He needed to move this year. Senior-laden team, there's a risk that his star could tarnish in the next few years.

 

[Madbiker]

Graveyard job. It's the ultimate football school they don't care about basketball. Nobody has been successful there except CM Newton a long time ago. Enjoy the money.

 

[shandeezy7]

This is like that Cornell guy who jumped for the Boston College job.

Only Chestnut Hill is about a million times nicer than Tuscaloosa.

Oh well, his business, not mine. But LOL at that life choice.

Ehh yes and no. I'd bet that Oats will be making a heck of a lot more at Bama than Donahue made at BC.

 

[cuse10]

Let him have three years at Bama then come home when JB retires

These next three seasons are going to expose whether or not he can coach and recruit at this level. Dominating the MAC is one thing. Major conference basketball is a different beast.

 

[shandeezy7]

Graveyard job. It's the ultimate football school they don't care about basketball. Nobody has been successful there except CM Newton a long time ago. Enjoy the money.

Mark Gottfried had some decent success there. Made the NCAA tournament 5 straight years, including the Elite Eight once (furthest they've ever gone in the tournament). He also had them ranked number 1 overall briefly in 2002.

 

[walsh2012]

These next three seasons are going to expose whether or not he can coach and recruit at this level. Dominating the MAC is one thing. Major conference basketball is a different beast.

Of course this is assuming he does well there

 

[samspann1]

Wonder if UB will look at Beilein now.

 

[EastCoast2]

This is like that Cornell guy who jumped for the Boston College job.

Only Chestnut Hill is about a million times nicer than Tuscaloosa.

Oh well, his business, not mine. But LOL at that life choice.

Would be interested to see your decision if given an opportunity for a 400-500% raise.

 

[chugg21]

Think his buyout was only around 750k.

 

[OttoMets]

Ehh yes and no. I'd bet that Oats will be making a heck of a lot more at Bama than Donahue made at BC.

Sure, but what I mean is that he'll be looking for a new job in 3 or 4 years. School thinks they're entitled to a winner, but nobody can win there. Didn't they just fire Avery Johnson, the guy whose teams used to win 55+ games a year in the Western Conference in the NBA?

Silly SEC schools, not understanding their place in the college basketball world.

 

[jgeorge322]

So is buffalo no longer the dominate team in ny. Have we surpassed them?

 

[JeremyCuse]

This is like that Cornell guy who jumped for the Boston College job.

Only Chestnut Hill is about a million times nicer than Tuscaloosa.

Oh well, his business, not mine. But LOL at that life choice.

Its certainly not getting the UNC or UVA job or even Florida or Ohio State but I think it makes a lot of sense. First of you go to a school where 98% of the fanbase couldn't care less what you do because there so into the fball program. Second you have a school with more money then they know what to do with, that has pretty low expectations compared to most P5 programs. Third you can leverage the schools football program to help with recruiting (bringing a kid to Bama vs Georgia on a 74 degree day in late October can't hurt). Fourth even if things don't pan out hes getting probably 3 mill a year for 4-5 years and he can then take a year off and jump back into the MAC or a lower level BE school no problem.

 

[jgeorge322]

Think his buyout was only around 750k.

Hed been stupid to sign anything with a high buyout and prohibitive to him leaving.

 

[shandeezy7]

Would be interested to see your decision if given an opportunity for a 400-500% raise.

Semantics here but looking at Oats current salary at UB (around $900,000) and Avery Johnson's salary at Alabama last year ($2.9 million), it's more along the lines of a 300% raise. I guess that doesn't really diminish the point though, and I would probably still make that move if I'm Nate Oats.

 

[pearl31]

parently wasn’t tough enough to stay in Buf

 

[OttoMets]

Its certainly not getting the UNC or UVA job or even Florida or Ohio State but I think it makes a lot of sense. First of you go to a school where 98% of the fanbase couldn't care less what you do because there so into the fball program. Second you have a school with more money then they know what to do with pretty low expectations compared to most P5 programs. Third you can leverage the schools football program to help with recruiting (bringing a kid to Bama vs Georgia on a 74 degree day in late October can't hurt). Fourth even if things don't pan out hes getting probably 3 mill a year for 4-5 years and he can then take a year off and jump back into the MAC or a lower level BE school no problem.

Big money brings big expectations...I don't know what positions are open but I'd advise looking for a Big Ten or XII job, heck, I'd even go to Wake over Bama if that were still open. Better sell for recruits and a .500 conference season likely sends you dancing.

 

[Trueblue25]

Well we now have a second (counting hop) promising candidate to potentially replace JB starting his trial run in a p5.


Lets see if he can make LSU and Kentucky howl.

 

[MG44]

Ehh yes and no. I'd bet that Oats will be making a heck of a lot more at Bama than Donahue made at BC.

...and there aint no lake effect in Alabama!