"It's pretty cool": Nate Oats recognizes Texas A&M Aggies HC Bucky McMillan's journey from high school to college

Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan has risen quickly in his career. He jumped from high school to the college level in 2020, becoming the head coach of the Samford Bulldogs. Then this offseason, he took another big step forward, taking over as the head coach of a prestigious program, the Texas A&M Aggies.

Alabama coach Nate Oats had a similar journey, jumping from high school to becoming an assistant at Buffalo in 2013, before taking over as head coach in 2015. He then took over a prestigious program, the Alabama Crimson Tide, in 2019. So, Oats is familiar with the quick rise that McMillan is experiencing.

While participating in the Regions Traditions Pro-Am on May 14, Oats spoke with the media about how excited he is for fellow SEC coach Bucky McMillan.

"I think it’s pretty cool," Oats said. "I got here, I talked to Bucky, and I talked to him even about an assistant role. Then I told him, like, "Look, man, you need to get to wherever you’re going to get as an assistant," and fortunate for him, he’s able to jump right from high school head coach. "Just do it on your own accord, how good as you are, and that’ll be better." And he did."

"I mean, he got to Samford, hit it out of the park. You know, me and him have talked a lot. Shoot, I’ve talked to him even a few times since he’s got to A&M. He says that the success I’ve had here, I think, helped him a little bit with just high school coaches can do it."

Oats continued to talk about the impact he has had on high school coaches.

"I think it’s great for all the really good high school coaches around," Oats said. "I mean, he went right from high school to Samford. He hit it out of the park, and now he’s in our league."

Bucky McMillan will hope to have similar success in his jump to the SEC as Nate Oats

Taking over as the leader of an SEC team like the Texas A&M Aggies comes with high expectations for Bucky McMillan. Nate Oats has been able to improve throughout his tenure at Alabama. After missing the NCAA Tournament in his first season, he has made five straight appearances. In four of those seasons, he reached the Sweet 16 or better.

Bucky McMillan will be looking to have similar success with the Aggies. He made one NCAA Tournament appearance with Samford in 2024, losing in the first round.