Kentucky Basketball: 20 candidates to replace John Calipari as Head Coach

Nate Oats

One day before Calipari was announced as Arkansas’s hire we saw two exciting Final Four matchups. It was certainly the greatest achievement of his coaching career for Oats to lead Alabama to their first Final Four in program history, but could he bolt for SEC rival Kentucky if the money and opportunity is right?

After growing up in Wisconsin and coaching high school ball in Detroit, Oats got to the D1 level at Buffalo, serving under Bobby Hurley before winning a pair of NCAA Tournaments as the Bulls’ head coach. Oats was hired away by Alabama in 2019 and has been phenomenal, rewriting basketball history for the Crimson Tide. Both 2021 and 2023 ended in SEC titles and Sweet Sixteen runs, though this year’s trip to the Final Four certainly exceeded all of that.

Regardless of what Kentucky can offer, it would be pretty rough for Oats to abandon Alabama right after leading them to their highest heights in program history. Regardless, he’ll be one of the favorites right off the bat to land in Lexington. He has a winning pedigree, knows how to recruit and use the Transfer Portal, and even has that hands-on experience in the SEC. Many would be delighted to see Oats in blue, though that might depend on how he sees his own future.