After Kevin Willard’s messy departure to Villanova opened the Maryland head coach job, Alabama basketball’s Nate Oats was one of the rumored candidates. Oats never showed any sign of potentially departing the Crimson Tide, and none of the rumors came from reputable sources, but still, UA athletics director Greg Byrne shot them down on Monday.

During an appearance on a Fox News podcast, Byrne was asked about the talk that his coach could relocate to College Park.

“I can absolutely tell you that there’s no truth to that,” Byrne said on the Will Cain Show.

News of Willard’s impending departure to Villanova broke before Maryland lost in the NCAA Tournament. He had previously been disgruntled with the Terps’ focus on football over basketball.

Oats received an extension last year, after the Michigan job opened. He would owe Alabama $18 million if he left in the first two years of the deal.

The Crimson Tide’s 2024-25 season came to an end on Saturday. Alabama, led by Oats, cruised through the first two rounds, then put up a record breaking shooting performance in the Sweet 16 to beat BYU.

Then, Duke got out in front of the Tide in the Elite Eight and Alabama was never able to catch up. UA fell a game short of its second Final Four in school history. After arriving back in Tuscaloosa, Oats and his staff got to work in the current transfer portal window.

Alabama lost Naas Cunningham, who redshirted his freshman year, but got a big pickup in the Patriot League’s reigning player of the year. Noah Williamson reportedly committed to the Crimson Tide Monday evening.

The transfer portal remains open through April 22.