ESPN’s Paul Finebaum continues to believe that John Calipari’s days at Kentucky are numbered. He believes that if the Wildcats part ways with Coach Cal, they should target another highly-touted SEC head coach.
Appearing on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Finebaum made the case that Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats would be “in that top realm” of potential replacements. Though he believes that Oats is already a top candidate among other teams, which is why the Crimson Tide recently gave him a big extension.
“I read, just like you did, he just got an extension. That’s pretty typical nowadays in college basketball, but I can tell you that Nate Oats is going to be a coveted man out there. For whatever reason, if John Calipari was pushed out tomorrow, I have no doubt Nate Oats would be in that top realm of candidates to replace him,” Finebaum said.
“That’s the same at other schools, and he probably already has been offered other schools but he turned them down because of the extension. But, he will be a difficult coach to keep at Alabama long term.”
Oats rose to prominence as head coach of the Buffalo Bulls from 2015 to 2019, leading the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances and two March Madness wins. Since joining the Crimson Tide, he has led them to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years and now has them in the Sweet Sixteen for a third time.
But while Oats may be a great choice for any college basketball team, the Wildcats would have to part ways with Coach Cal first.
Will Oats ever replace Calipari at Kentucky?