Maryland to Hire Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams As Next Head Coach

Williams will take over for Kevin Willard in College Park after Willard departed for Villanova.

Maryland is hiring Texas A&M's Buzz Williams as the program's next head coach. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Maryland Terrapins are hiring Texas A&M's Buzz Williams as the program's next coach, according to a report from Jeff Ermann of Inside MD Sports. ESPN's Pete Thamel confirmed the hiring.

The two sides have agreed to a six-year deal, Thamel reports.

Texas A&M confirmed Williams's departure.

"We would like to thank Buzz for his years of service heading up our men's basketball program," Aggies athletic director Trev Alberts said in a statement. "We wish he and Corey and their family all the best moving forward. We are excited about the future of Aggie basketball, and we will find the right leader for our program."

Williams will replace Kevin Willard, who left Maryland for Villanova after taking the Terrapins to the Sweet 16. He emerged from a pool of candidates that included Northwestern's Chris Collins and George Mason's Tony Skinn, among others.

Williams arrives in College Park after a six-year stint in College Station, where he took the Aggies to three NCAA tournaments but never made the second weekend. Williams has also coached Virginia Tech, Marquette and New Orleans in his 18 seasons as head coach, and has compiled a 373–228 record overall.

The 52-year-old will be taking on a rebuild at Maryland with the entire "Crab 5" starting lineup likely departing. Forward Julian Reese and guard Selton Miguel have exhausted their eligibility, while freshman Deriq Queen is a likely lottery pick in the NBA draft this summer. Meanwhile, guards Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice, the two remaining members of the starting lineup, are in the transfer portal.

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