Buzz Williams Determined to Flip Maryland's Fortunes in Transfer Portal After Disastrous Debut Season

The Terrapins are trying to reclaim its top in the top half of the Big Ten Conference

Feb 21, 2026; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Buzz Williams reacts during the first half against the Washington Huskies at Xfinity Center. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

There were going to be growing pains after Maryland basketball went under a full reset last season following the departure of Kevin Willaed and hiring of Buzz Williams, but no one expected the Terrapins to struggle as much as they did.

After a 12-21 (4-16 Big Ten) season – its fewest amount of overall and conference wins since the 1992-92 season – Williams knew he had to quickly flip his roster and bring an influx of talent to College Park, and he’s done exactly that in the transfer portal.

It’s an early offseason that was highlighted by the commitment of former McDonald’s All-American and Arkansas transfer DJ Wagner on Saturday. He did shoot a career-best 42.9-percent from the field and 34.6-percent from 3-point range.

Wagner began his career at Kentucky and followed head coach John Calipari to the Razorbacks for two seasons, but he is coming off career-lows of 7.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.  

Maryland has lost five players to the transfer portal, most notably promising freshman Darius Adams, and has already matched that with five additions. In addition to DJ Wagner, the Terps landed New Mexico’s Tomislav Buljan, Oklahoma State’s Robert Jennings, Queens’ Maban Jabriel, and Tennessee’s Bishop Boswell.

Of the acquisitions, only Buljan averaged double digit points last season but there is no doubting the talent of players like Wagner and Boswell and their ability to potentially thrive in a new role and environment.

There is still a long way to go for Buzz Williams to get Maryland back to the NCAA Tournament but he knows he cannot have another season like his debut campaign in College Park and his aggressiveness in the transfer portal shows that he is committed to getting Maryland basketball back to a respectable place in the eyes of the rest of the country.