Alabama AD Greg Byrne Dismisses Nate Oats to Maryland Rumors: ‘No Truth to That’
At Maryland the coaching search goes on after Kevin Willard left for Villanova. Rumors spread that Alabama coach Nate Oats might fill the gap. Alabama director Greg Byrne shut down these claims. He said, “I can absolutely tell you there’s no truth to that.”
Sports journalist Jeff Goodman noted that Oats, fresh from a strong sixth season with Alabama, does not want the move to College Park. Under Oats, Alabama made a deep run. The team reached the Elite Eight again and then lost hard to Duke. They hit the Sweet Sixteen for the third tournament in a row. This run marks a rare success for the program.
During his time, Oats led Alabama to win two SEC regular-season titles and one tournament crown. These wins show the team is among the best in the Southeastern Conference.
Maryland ended its season with strong play. The team won a buzzer-beater over Colorado State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Then, they fell to No. 1 seed Florida in the Sweet Sixteen. A 27-9 record marks the Terps’ best finish since a COVID-related postseason cancellation in 2019–2020. Maryland now faces the twin challenges of finding a new head coach and a new athletic director. ESPN’s Pete Thamel believes the program can bring in a top coach. The Terps benefit from Big Ten backing and support by Under Armour. Thamel mentioned names like Porter Moser and Buzz Williams as possible choices.
Though Oats was once seen as a dream candidate, he is not part of this coaching search. Byrne’s clear message leaves Maryland to explore other options. The school must now work in the competitive arena of college basketball coaching hires.
