Maryland has hired Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams to replace Kevin Willard, the school announced Tuesday. The Aggies coach will take over the program without a sitting athletic director after Maryland advert Damon Evans took over the same job at SMU last month.
“I promise to protect Maryland basketball history and be proud of Terpunation for the men who represent the agency as they lead this program,” Williams said in a press release from the school.
The former Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Marquette coach has a career record of 373-228. Williams spent the past six seasons at College Station, leading the Texas A&M program to three consecutive bersers in the NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M lost to Michigan’s fifth place in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last month. “While his record of incredible success in three prominent basketball programs speaks for itself, we were equally impressed by his tireless work ethic and dedication to building the program the right way.
After arriving at Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016, Willard took up a vacant job at Villanova within 48 hours of losing to No. 1 seed Florida. The massive school escape continued earlier this week when the Maryland star entered the transfer portal amidst the cloud of conflict with power brokers.
The Maryland Basketball collapse continues: Two “Crab 5” stars hit the transfer portal after Kevin Willard came out
Cameron Salerno
Maryland forward Julian Lease and guard Selton Miguel are not eligible. Star Center Derrick Queen could head to the 2025 NBA Draft as a predicted lottery pick.
That means Williams should be replaced by one of the best starting lineups in college basketball. All five Maryland starters averaged at least 12 points per game. Terrapin was the only team in Division L basketball to achieve that feat. The Maryland starter totaled 69 points per game. This is the 10th most won by the NCAA Tournament team in the last decade.
On the positive side, Maryland is expected to receive a $2 million acquisition on Willard’s deal. In particular, the acquisition of Williams’ A&M deal fell from $2 million to $1 million on Tuesday.
Under Williams, Texas A&M has won at least 21 games for the fourth consecutive season. Back in his days at Virginia Tech, Williams has participated in the NCAA Tournament for six of the past nine years.
There was optimism that Willard would stay within the Maryland program until last week’s Sweet 16 clash with Florida. The school provided him with a contract where he would become one of the top 10 top paying coaches in college basketball, sources told CBS Sports’ John Talty.
“He played us like a drum,” Maryland booster Barry Gossett told CBS Sports that the name adorns the $52 million, 44,000-square-foot basketball performance center.
In the hours leading up to the most consequent Maryland basketball game of nearly a decade, Willard remained silent on the topic amid rumors that he was leaving for work at Villanova. Players in Maryland locker rooms such as Queen spoke to CBS Sports about tensions over the program.
“First of all,[Coach Kevin Willard]wants to win,” Queen told CBS Sports when asked about coaching rumors last week. “No matter what happens after the season, it happens.”
With coaches now in place, Maryland has to work quickly to replace most of the roster that won 27 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
Insidemdsports was adding to what was unfolding behind the scenes with Kevin Willard as Maryland had a sweet 16 run. Now, the Terps are about to rebuild their roster under new coach Buzz Williams. Insidemdsports is your place for everything. Activate your fandom here!
