They just need a promising candidate who just renewed a huge contract and promised he’d never leave to fulfill this prophecy.
I may be an idiot but I do not think that we will lose Oats because of money. We have lots of it, we've shown we are willing to spend it on basketball in terms of his salary and his budget. If we lose him, it will be because he decides that he wants to take a step up professionally - either the NBA or to go to one of the premier places in college basketball and start a dynasty. The sort of stuff that we can't counter in terms of negotiations. And while the arena stuff irritates the shite out of me, it's become very clear that is not priority #1 for Oats when it comes to resource allocation. But if this led to his using his leverage to make us agree to firm arena timelines then sign me up.
I'm going to believe we are good for now. Byrne has shown to be one of the smartest ADs in the country and it's not like it's the first time we have had to fight off top programs stealing our coach (i realize staying at Alabama for Saban is a lot easier decision than Oats). He just signed a big contract and has publicly pledged a lot of love and support to Byrne and Alabama. He's got one daughter at Bama and 2 others in high school. I doubt any of them want to move. Obviously Kentucky is always going to be Kentucky but he could be a god here and we have plenty of money to throw at him. Having said all that I don't know why UK wouldn't offer him everything they have. With Tyson paying Cal's buyout it opens them up to eat that $18M pretty easily.
This. I dont think money for the buyout will be an obstacle for UK if they decide Oats is their guy, but I also think we could probably match what they throw at him from a salary perspective. It comes down to what does Oats want to do
I think the biggest thing that helps us is that Oats has not had a problem signing the types of players that he wants. I'd be really nervous if every year we were really well coached but it just felt like we weren't able to give him a chance to acquire elite level talent that he could do at another place. The sort of thing that we just couldn't really do anything about. We just went to a Final Four, he signs NBA players here, he has full support financially. Other than the arena, we give him everything he wants and needs. But Kentucky is Kentucky, and any sane person gets why that would be appealing. And we can't really counter that if it is appealing to him. So we wait.
*Coach leaves because powers that be and fanbase don’t support him despite track record of success* “I want to leave my very comfortable job to go to this place” - No one
I think it is entirely reasonable that Kentucky was tired of Cal. They haven't reached the 2nd weekend of the tournament in 6 years (or won anything - conference, conference tournament, anything) and there is no reason to expect anything different moving forward. Cal from 2010-2019 was everything you wanted. Cal post-COVID has been the biggest underachiever in the sport.
The talking point that "Arkansas is going to give Cal so much NIL money to work with" is hysterical. As if the issue for Cal at Kentucky was not having the resources to bring in elite players.
I think UK ends up with Scott Drew. He has a good relationship with Barnhart and has accomplished everything he can at Baylor. It makes the most sense.
we may very well lose him someday if not today but i do think oats sees a lot of value in being at a school that dumps an absolutely excessive amount of money into football because he and his players get to benefit from a lot of that shit as well. facilities as a whole rather than just a nice arena.
Also, I'm sure this was touched on Saturday but I was in Phoenix so not on the board. What a great picture, and I think we can all agree that everyone in this picture is Alabama royalty. Everyone. Amirite?
I agree, but that's not what I'm getting at. I'm wondering if the buyout turns Kentucky toward other candidates. Could Kentucky pay $18 million if they wanted? Yes, in practice they could, but the question is will they. That's a ton of money for a basketball coach, and what I'm pointing out is that I don't think anyone has ever paid even close to that to hire a football coach, and that's in a sport that generates a lot more money than basketball, even at a place like Kentucky. Money in college sports is absurd, but that's a level that I don't think anyone has hit, or even come close to yet. Has to at least make them pause on him.
That's a good point - especially since Oats isn't the clear #1 guy. If they can get other guys they see as equal in their eyes without spending $15M differential in buyout then it probably nudges in that direction.
A few years ago biggest buyout paid for a football coach was Florida for Jim McElwain and that was line $8-10mm but got negotiated down with CSU coming to Gainesville for a buy game. I think we paid UW $12mm for DeBoer. $18mm for a basketball coach even at UK is a big ask.
Apparently the most a school has ever paid TO GET a coach in terms of buyout was Alabama when they sent 12M to Washington to get DeBoer.
Once (Z) brought it up earlier I was curious what the highest buyout a basketball program had ever paid to hire a guy, was. That's pretty interesting.
That's what I thought. Again, Kentucky can do it, but you're talking about completely resetting the market for what schools have been willing to do at this point. Will they is a whole different ball game. I'm guessing nobody in basketball has ever paid more than 3-4 million buyout, if that, to get a coach.
From what I can find the biggest buyout ever paid in college basketball was Texas to Texas Tech for Chris Beard - $4M. Illinois paid Okie State $3M for Underwood. Louisville paid Xavier $2.9M for Chris Mack.
Big nothing burger here: Spoiler: "War Room" An updated look at several key targets after recent spring visits. *Note this is not a complete breakdown of every Alabama target or position group. The wait for JuJu? - JuJu Lewis remains the top target at QB after multiple spring visits to Tuscaloosa. Lewis is in the process of scheduling summer officials. We've heard mixed things from the USC POV during the last month, but it seems like the visit back to Los Angeles went well. He still says all the right things that should keep Trojan fans happy for now. Sources close to Lewis believe Alabama has captured his attention with Coach DeBoer's system. Caleb Odom blossoming at receiver as a true freshman this spring also doesn't hurt the Tide's chance with his former QB. Not making any sort of prediction just yet, but sources believe Alabama is the biggest threat to the Trojans. Alabama did have interest in Matt Zollers prior to his commitment to Mizzou last week. An offer was not extended as the staff still needs an in-person evaluation. SMU commit Keelon Russell has been in heavy contact with the staff in recent weeks. He is still working on logistics to visit The Capstone. He does not have an offer to this point. There hasn't been much happening with Alabama and Notre Dame commit Deuce Knight, recently. We'll update if anything changes. New names added to the Big Board Spring visits are always important from an evaluation standpoint, even if there isn't an in-person work-out. Alabama has hosted 200-plus recruits since early March. Many of those players won't be heavily pursued. Several will have high interest from the staff, but will still need a strong camp performance before Alabama decides if they will want in the class. The visitor lists have been quite impressive each week. Fans know about the high-profile recruits (five-stars, Top 100, etc..) or the ones who have been 'offered' by the staff prior to arriving on campus. Then, there are a few who start to emerge after a weekend visit. Lotzeir Brooks, WR from Millville High School in New Jersey -Brooks took an unofficial visit to Alabama with his mom and head coach on Friday. The reigning South Jersey Offensive Player of the Year had 61 receptions for 1,296 yards and 22 touchdowns during the 2023 season. He has 3,355 career yards and 51 touchdown catches. Brooks not only has an offer from Alabama - He is considered one of the Tide's top offensive targets. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound athlete camped in Tuscaloosa last summer, and was one of the fastest players in camp (4.4). He has also been clocked with a max speed of 22.5 mph. Has a little bit of the same feel as Rico Scott a year ago in regards to being under the radar, but a priority for the Tide. Alabama is on the short list, and will receive an OV either on May 31 or June 7. Junior season highlights — Click HERE. Nick Townsend, tight end, Dekaney HS in Spring, Texas -We've seen some of the nation's best tight ends visit Alabama this spring, including Andrew Olesh, DaSaahn Brame, and Micah Jones. Townsend took an unofficial visit this past weekend. He stars on both sides of the ball as a tight end and outside linebacker. BOL has learned that Townsend is right near the top of the TE board for the Crimson Tide. We are still trying to gather more info regarding Townsend, but understand the staff considers him one of the best players in the country. Junior season highlights — Click HERE. O-line movement Alabama is in the fight for several highly coveted offensive linemen. We've seen the majority of its targets visit this spring, especially in the last two weeks. Five-star OL Andrew Babalola was in Tuscaloosa with his mother on Saturday and Sunday. Sources tell BOL the visit went extremely well, and he is expected to return for an official visit. Babalola has not released the date yet. The previous relationship with Coach DeBoer and Courtney Morgan is playing a factor, but we're told Babalola also hit it off with Coach Kap. We hope to have an interview posted within the next day or so. A lot of eyes this week were on in-state OL Micah DeBose. It was his first trip back to Tuscaloosa since Coach DeBoer and the new staff arrived. We're also hearing the Tide's chances have improved with DeBose. He considered a decision this spring, but it looks like a commitment will wait until after official visits. DeBose spoke with BOL (Story HERE) after the visit. LSU has been considered the team to beat. Alabama is surging with Ohio State also strongly in contention. It's been a roller coaster ride with the former UGA commit, but there is optimism that the Tide can keep him in-state. BOL loves Alabama's current position with Jackson Lloyd. That's not a secret to avid followers. Lloyd visited last Tuesday - Thursday. It was the second trip to Alabama with the new staff, and his only spring visit thus far. The three-sport star (basketball, baseball) is expected to visit USC, and possibly a few others before announcing a decision. A commitment appears likely before the summer. We like Alabama here. Post-visit interview with Lloyd HERE. We know of three other offensive linemen with OV plans for Alabama -Ty Haywood (May 31) -David Sanders (June 18) -Malachi Goodman (June 14) -Michael Carroll (Date not revealed yet) Hardy Watts, unfortunately, could not visit this past weekend. The four-star lineman could not make it work from a flight standpoint. He does intend on finding a new date to visit. Logan Powell had a two-day visit. The Arizona lineman told BOL that he had a great time, and is currently working on a summer official visit schedule. More of a wait-and-see with each player. The staff was eager to see Watts. LB spots at a premium -An in-depth look at the LB recruiting board was published on Thursday. There hasn't been much change since the story was released. Alabama is still pursuing a few inside backers - Ty Jackson and Jaedon Harmon. Both of these players are highly coveted by the staff, and we're told either one has a green light to commit. Harmon was recently predicted to Alabama by On3 Sports' Steve Wiltfong. We also like Alabama's current position, but official visits have a way of changing things. Jackson is probably more of a wait-and-see. The staff felt like his March 23 visit went really well and there's a big push, but a long way to go in his recruitment. It's all about securing an official visit, which we expect Alabama will do. Noah Mikhail has also remained in steady contact with the staff. He'll likely return for an OV. Alabama is still in search of its first Wolf in the class. Dawson Merritt returns for an OV from April 19-21. Merritt visited two weeks ago. BOL believes Alabama is trending in the right direction. A spring decision is not out of the question. Former Alabama commit Javion Hilson is expected back in Tuscaloosa this week, his second in less than a month. Hilson will also return on June 7 for an official. Still very much in the game for the FSU commit. Auburn commitment Jakaleb Faulk recently visited, and will return on June 21-23 for an official visit. Alabama has serious interest here, but it will be fascinating to see how things might play out if Merritt commits before summer. Alabama may only take two Wolfs. Alabama should at least have an idea of where things stand with Hilson prior to Faulk's OV. There are still others in the mix, and more being evaluated. Keep in mind - Justin Hill, No. 6 EDGE, will attend A-Day. Ohio State is considered the favorite, but Alabama could make a move up the board this weekend. Coleman returns to Tuscaloosa, Tide still trending for Cali DT -D-line discussion is always a hot topic. Alabama commit Antonio Coleman was back in town this past weekend. Coleman kicked things off in March with a flip back to Alabama from Auburn. He still plans on taking visits, and has even returned to Auburn. Coleman is enjoying the process, much like we saw from Ryan Williams a year ago. Williams was also back in Tuscaloosa for Saturday's scrimmage. Alabama is in a good spot with Coleman after his trip, but he'll still take visits. One target who did not show for the weekend visit - Justus Terry. The five-star USC commit confirmed plans late last week with BOL. Alabama also expected. Not sure the exact reasoning. Alabama is still pursuing, and working to secure an official visit (summer or fall). Terry flipped from UGA to the Trojans last month. Josiah Sharma recently returned for a second visit to Alabama since Coach DeBoer arrived. The former Washington commit had another great time, and will return this summer for an official visit. Sharma is very low-key in his recruitment, but his stock has continued to climb. He has an official visit set to Texas on June 7-9. Oklahoma, Miami and Washington are also in the mix. Alabama continues to trend here, which can be attributed to several staff members - DeBoer, Morgan, Roach, Wommack. Big push for the 6-foot-6, 300-pound lineman. Other notable DL targets with OVs: Nate Marshall (June 14), Javeon Campbell (June 21). DL target visiting this weekend: Christian Garrett Can the Tide break Vegas? - Several receivers have visited Alabama this spring, including a few who have set summer officials. Alabama does not have WR commits yet, but they'll remain very selective on players who have a green light to jump on board. (Lotzier) Brooks was mentioned above. Alabama made a pretty significant move for Derek Meadows after his visit two weeks ago. He'll return for an official visit. The staff is very high on him. We've also seen others such as Caleb Cunningham, Travis Smith Jr., Taz Williams and Marcus Harris schedule official visits. Some tough decisions ahead....Can't take 'em all. That's only linebackers. Remaining DB class may come down to officials -Derick Smith and Zymear Smith is a great way to get the DB class rolling for the Crimson Tide, especially after the '24 haul. This is another area where Alabama can be patient. Dijon Lee has Alabama in his top two along with UGA. This is a very tight race between the two sides that won't be decided until after official visits. He has a longstanding relationship with coaches on both staffs. We've seen several DBs visit this spring, including three who were on campus last week. Shamari Earls, Lagonza Hayward and Onis Konanbanny. We've heard the visits went very well with all three recruits. Hayward has an official visit on June 14. Earls and Konanbanny will also return for officials. Each one of these players are high on the wish list. A few others we are continuing to monitor closely after visiting Alabama this spring - Graceon Littleton and Timothy Merritt. Additional notes -Running back isn't a 'critical' position of need, but it is an area Alabama hopes it can add to the class. The Tide recently missed on a few players - AK Dear (Ole Miss) and Girard Pringle (Miami). Both players will continue to be pursued by the staff. Alabama also recently hosted Jordon Davison. He remains on the short list of RB targets, and is expected back to Tuscaloosa for an OV. Davison has received a big push from Alabama. Still other top contenders involved, including Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, etc.. Bo Jackson visited on Friday. This was Jackson's first time meeting with Alabama. He said the visit went great, and spoke highly of Coach DeBoer and Gillespie. Will likely return for an OV, but the overall relationship with Alabama is still very new, for both sides. -Great week ahead with recruits on campus throughout the week leading up to the A-Day game. The Jaedon Harmon visit may be one to watch, especially with the current LBs numbers. Alabama is also hosting the No. 2 QB in the '26 class, Dia Bell. Updated visitors list HERE.
That may have been the lamest War Room I've read in 20 years. Why did they think they had enough information to warrant that?
Phoenix: I got good tickets but unfortunately ended up in a section that was 50/50 UConn/Purdue fans. Gotta say, UConn fans suck. It was a weird mix of uptight fans sitting on their hands and others cussing while yelling that we traveled or fouled on every possession. Reminded me of our football fans and some of the mix I’ve seen and heard at our games. Also that stadium was a shit show. It took 45 minutes to get to our seats once entering the stadium because the concourse was so crowded. And no one even checked our tickets. Our fans got loud as hell several times. We had a good turnout. Spoiler can’t wait to do it again next year
Agreed. The stadium was basically the core fans in the lower level in their section, a smattering of NC State people and an absolute sea of black and gold. It's hard to overstate how many Purdue people were there. It had to have been 30-35,000 of the 75,000. All the NC State/Purdue folks we interacted with were great. Purdue fans were the definition of Midwestern (in a good way) - all seemed to be like 6-2, very white Germanic looking folks who were complimentary and extremely excited/nervous. A lot of them said they'd gone to the game in Toronto and were very complimentary of our program. NC State folks were just all drunk and having a blast - from the airport in Atlanta to the game itself. Really didn't encounter many UConn people.
UCONN fans have been great to us and we are staying in the Bama/UConn hotel. Purdue fans have largely been super obnoxious pricks.
Yep. Exact same experience. And nailed the Purdue fan description - it’s odd. I’m still in town and it’s about 10:1 Purdue everywhere I look. Wondering if you’ll see/hear it tonight.
This is literally purdues Super Bowl. They’ll never have edey again and may never compete for another championship in any sport again
They also love basketball and have been really good but not quite great the last 10 years or so. Throw in how last year ended and this is definitely the biggest trip of their lives as Purdue fans.