The defending national champion Michigan Wolverines suddenly became an open job in men’s basketball on Monday morning after a shocking announcement that Dusty May is heading to the NBA to coach the Dallas Mavericks.

As has been the case virtually every time a big job has opened up over the last several years, Alabama fans instantly sounded the alarm that head coach Nate Oats could consider a return to the state of Michigan where he began his career coaching high school basketball.

Quickly, the Wolverines pivoted to put fears at ease, at least for now. This late in the game, a coach changing jobs would be exceedingly rare, and Michigan is pivoting towards hiring assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. as the interim, a role he likely will keep for at least a year.

While Michigan will likely do a full search and make a significant hire in the next coaching cycle after the 2026-27 season comes to a close, there is reason to think Oats is not going to be the one they go with. Alabama extended his contract after this past season which increased his buyout dramatically, forcing any team who wants to hire him to pay a very hefty fee.

Oats costing any team that hires him $15 million could be enough to deter them, but even if it wasn’t, he has repeatedly stated his desire to build a championship program in Tuscaloosa rather than take another job that has already reached that goal.

While this may be a talking point during the upcoming season, Alabama fans should not worry about Oats going anywhere else anytime soon.