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Nate Oats reportedly close to hiring sitting head coach to role as Alabama assistant
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Nate Oats is nearing a deal to hire a sitting head basketball coach to join his staff at Alabama as an assistant.
According to multiple reports (first by SI’s Kevin Sweeney), Oats is expected to hire Nicholls State head coach Austin Claunch to fill 1 of the 3 vacant assistant positions on his staff. After an SEC championship campaign and a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Oats saw his bench raided; all 3 assistants from last year’s squad have landed head coach gigs.
Claunch would be a significant coup.
When Claunch was hired by Nicholls in 2018, he became the youngest head coach at the Division I level. Now 33, Claunch has posted a 90-61 record in 5 seasons with the Colonels. He has won 2 conference regular-season championships and was named the Southland Coach of the Year in 2020.
A Houston, Texas native, Claunch began his career at George Mason as a director of player development. From 2013-2016, he spent time at Clemson, where he received his master’s degree and was elevated from a grad manager to an assistant video services director.
This offseason, Oats needs to replace Charlie Henry (Georgia Southern), Bryan Hodgson (Arkansas State), and Antoine Pettway (Kennesaw State).
The Tide went 31-6 this past season, including 16-2 in conference play.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
