3. Nate Oats, Buffalo coach
Oats is going to be the most sought-after man in the coaching carousel this offseason. After leading Buffalo to an upset over Arizona in the NCAA Tournament last year, he has turned the Bulls into a top-20 team and a likely at-large candidate should they not earn the MAC’s automatic bid.
Like Marshall, Oats does not have any ties to the West Coast and has not proven he can recruit at an elite level yet. Oats has, however, proved he can identify and develop talent while playing at a high level.
If UCLA wants to go after a rising star in the coaching ranks, there is no better choice for them than Oats. A high school coach from 2002-2013, Oats joined Bobby Hurley’s staff at Buffalo and then became the head coach in 2015. Assuming they make the tournament as expected, the Bulls will have made the Big Dance in three of his four seasons.
That’s the kind of track record that would generate excitement around the hire, but is moving from Buffalo to a program with the stature of UCLA too big of a jump?