Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats. Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Nate Oats believes Alabama basketball can be competitive in NIL space

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Mar 11, 2026 11:55 PM ET

Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide took a tough recruiting loss earlier this week.

Caleb Holt is one of the top recruits in the 2026 class, and the Crimson Tide were in on his recruitment. In fact, one could have said that Alabama had an inside track in his recruiting process.

Although Holt plays high school basketball for Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he calls Huntsville, Alabama his hometown.

The Tide had that hometown in with Holt, but he ultimately committed to the Arizona Wildcats.

Perhaps not ironically, Oats was asked the very next day how he felt the Crimson Tide are able to hang in this recruiting environment where relationships still matter, but NIL money has become the driving factor.

“I’m gonna say this: first and foremost, I firmly believe that we’re gonna get the right players for our program,” Oats said. “We want players that want to come here for reasons that money isn’t at the top. That being said, we’ve got to be fair, we’ve got to be in the market. … I’ve had conversations with our administration. We’re gonna be competitive.”

Nate Oats on how comfortable he is with Alabama's NIL situation: "I'm gonna say this: first and foremost, I firmly believe that we're gonna get the right players for our program. We want players that want to come here for reasons that money isn't at the top. That being said,…
— Blake Byler (@blakebyler45) March 11, 2026

To be fair to Oats, Holt had a strong connection to Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd. That relationship led to the commitment to Arizona, and it's proof of what Oats is talking about.

There are things that still matter in recruiting, and relationships are still at the top of the list.

Nate Oats believes Alabama has money to be competitive in NIL

It's not like Oats has struggled to attract top talent to Alabama, either. Case in point? Alabama's 2026 recruiting class already features five-star small forward Jaxon Richardson.

Alabama has about $2.9 million in revenue share money that it can give to men's basketball players. NCAA D1 student-athletes can also make money through third-party NIL deals, though they have to report that through the clearinghouse, NIL Go.

Through both revenue share and NIL opportunities, though, Oats believes the Crimson Tide are in a good spot.

"With the money that’s going to be delivered through both rev share and NIL go, we’re in as good a place as anybody in the country," he said, according to Emilee Smarr of The Tuscaloosa News.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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