Maryland is hiring Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams to succeed Kevin Willard, the school announced Tuesday. The Aggies coach will take over a program without a sitting athletic director after Maryland AD Damon Evans left for the same job at SMU last month.
“In leading this program, I promise to uphold the history of Maryland basketball and make Terp Nation proud with the men who represent this institution,” Williams said in a press release from the school.
The former Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Marquette coach has a 373-228 career record. Williams spent the last six seasons in College Station and guided the Texas A&M program to three consecutive berths in the NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M lost to No. 5 seed Michigan in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament last month.”We are thrilled to bring a coach of the caliber of Buzz Williams to the University of Maryland,” Maryland interim athletic director Colleen Sorem said in the school’s press release. “His incredible record of success at three prominent basketball programs speaks for itself, but we were equally impressed with his tireless work ethic and his dedication to building a program the right way. He embraces the high expectations here at Maryland and we are all excited to get started on this new era in Maryland basketball.”
After reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016, Willard left to take the vacant job at Villanova less than 48 hours after losing to No. 1 seed Florida. The mass exodus at the school continued earlier this week when Maryland star guards Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice entered the transfer portal amid a cloud of conflict with power-brokers.
Maryland forward Julian Reese and guard Selton Miguel are out of eligibility. Star center Derik Queen will likely head to the 2025 NBA Draft as a projected lottery pick.
That means Williams will have to replace the entirety of one of the best starting lineups in college basketball. All five Maryland starters averaged at least 12 points per game. The Terrapins were the only team in Division l basketball to accomplish that feat. Maryland’s starters combined to score 69 points per game total — the 10th most by an NCAA Tournament team in the last 10 years.
On the positive side, Maryland is set to receive a $2 million buyout on Willard’s contract. Notably, Williams’ A&M contract buyout dropped from $2 million to $1 million on Tuesday.
Under Williams, Texas A&M won at least 21 games in four consecutive seasons. Dating back to his time at Virginia Tech, Williams has been to the NCAA Tournament in six of the last nine years.
In the days leading up to last week’s Sweet 16 clash with Florida, There was optimism within the Maryland program that Willard would stay. The school offered him a contract that would make him one of the top 10 highest-paid coaches in college basketball, multiple sources told CBS Sports’ John Talty.
“He played us like a drum,” Maryland booster Barry Gossett, whose name adorns the forthcoming $52 million, 44,000-square foot basketball performance center, told CBS Sports.
In the hours leading up to the most consequential Maryland basketball game in nearly a decade, Willard stayed silent on the topic amid rumors that he would leave for the job at Villanova. Players inside the Maryland locker room, such as Queen, spoke to CBS Sports about the tension around the program.
“First, (coach Kevin Willard) wants to win,” Queen told CBS Sports when asked about the coaching rumors last week. “Whatever happens after the season, happens.”
With a coach now in place, Maryland will have to work fast to replace most of a roster that won 27 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
InsideMDSports was on top of what was unfolding behind the scenes with Kevin Willard as Maryland was making its Sweet 16 run. Now the Terps are looking to rebuild their roster under new coach Buzz Williams. InsideMDSports is your place for all things Terps. Activate your fandom here!
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