Alabama head coach Nate Oats was the latest NCAA tournament coach to be asked about the head coaching vacancy at North Carolina in the aftermath of Hubert Davis’ dismissal.
Like the coaches before him, he expressed a desire to remain in his current position.
Oats, whose Crimson Tide are preparing to face Michigan in the Sweet 16 on Friday, was asked about the UNC job during his news conference Friday.
“I’m not a guy that’s trying to always jump around,” Oats said. “But the grass is not always greener. I love Alabama. My girls love Alabama. They’re here with me.
“I love working with the administration that I work with. Greg Byrne is the greatest AD in the country. Great if I was able to work with him for the rest of my career.”
Oats said that as long as Alabama is committed to competing for national championships, he has no desire to leave.
“They’re doing everything they can to make sure that we’ve got a competitive program,” Oats continued. “As long as we’re able to compete to win championships here — SEC, national championships, we haven’t done that here yet. I’d love to be the coach to bring us our first national championship.
“To me, there’s absolutely no reason to leave here.”
Oats added that “I haven’t talked to anybody, nor do I plan on talking to anybody.” He didn’t mention UNC.
Dusty May ‘incredibly happy’ at Michigan
May, like Oats, has had his named floated in media among the potential candidates to take over at UNC. He wasn’t asked about the North Carolina job on Thursday. He was asked about why he chose Michigan in the first place and cited his family’s desire to be in Ann Arbor.
“My family has always been a very important part of any decision that I’ve made, especially when you drag them around like I did chasing this dream,” he said.
Oats also cited the school’s commitment to both athletics and academics and previously said on a podcast: “I’m incredibly happy at Michigan.”
Lloyd, Otzelberger previously asked about UNC
Oats’ and Mays’ comments follow those of Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd and Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger on Wednesday.
Otzelberger declared that any chatter connecting him to another job is “not true.”
“Any speculation with me and any other jobs or opportunities is not true,” Otzelberger told reporters. “I’m the coach of the Cyclones, thrilled to be the coach of the Cyclones and what I can say to you even more as we move forward together is the alignment on our campus with [university president] Dr. [David] Cook, [athletic director] Jamie Pollard is amazing and we’re thrilled and excited about our future together.”
Lloyd didn’t deny interest in the job at his news conference, but lauded his post as Arizona’s head coach as “one of the best jobs in the country.”
“I already have one of the best jobs in the country,” Lloyd said. “One thing we talk about in our program all the time, and I think I’ve gotten better at, and I think our team has been crushing it this year, is just the ability to have full focus and be present in the moment.”
Like Oats and May, Lloyd’ and’s Otzelberger’s programs are still in the NCAA tournament. If any of them were to express their desire to leave their team for another at this point in their season, they’d be the first. Don’t expect clarity on the UNC job until their seasons are over.
North Carolina fired Davis on Tuesday following the program’s second consecutive loss in the first round of the NCAA tournament via a collapse from a 19-point lead against VCU. Davis’ dismissal opened up one of the best jobs in college basketball alongside intense pressure on North Carolina to get its next hire right.
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