Kevin Willard addresses Villanova speculation following Maryland's loss to Florida in Sweet Sixteen
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Following Maryland's Sweet Sixteen loss to Florida on Thursday night, head coach Kevin Willard took to the podium to field questions from the media. And while some were focused on the game itself, many were focused on Willard's future in College Park.
Over the last two weeks, rumors surrounding Willard and a potential departure to Villanova have picked up steam. Those rumors only continued to grow as the head coaching vacancy with the Wildcats remained open, suggesting that their next target was still coaching in the tournament.
Willard's refusal to provide a solid answer regarding his future at Maryland, along with how outspoken he's been about things he's frustrated with, put a bad taste in the mouth of the fanbase. Ahead of the Sweet Sixteen matchup against Florida, the Maryland faithful took to social media to blast Willard for his conduct during such a critical time in the season. Following the loss, that criticism only intensified - with many making it clear that they don't want him back.
Given that it's currently the biggest story surrounding the basketball program, Willard had no choice to address it on Thursday night.
When asked if he knows what his next move is, Willard maintained that he has no idea.
"No, I don't know what I'm doing. I'll just be honest with you. I haven't talked to my agent. I haven't talked to my wife. I made a promise to this team that I was going to just focus on this team and that's all I've done. So I haven't talked to anybody. I have an agent. I'm sure he's talking to people because that's what agents like to do. But I don't know."
Willard then said that there were many things he needed to consider, particularly in the absence of a current AD.
"I don't know who my boss is going to be. The guy that brought me here who I really liked, and appreciative of him bringing me to College Park, is not here anymore. And I don't know who we're going to hire. In today's day and age, that worries me a little bit. I'm just being honest. My honesty got me in trouble, might as well keep getting me in trouble. So this is going to be a family decision. I love College Park. I love Maryland. But when you're at this point in your career and you're looking at things, I have to take everything into consideration moving forward. But I have not even talked to anybody, so I don't know what I'm doing."
And finally, Willard was asked directly whether or not he's received an offer from Villanova.
"I have no idea."
Those answers don't necessarily fill you with confidence that a return to College Park is likely, But given the way fans currently feel about the situation, that might actually be the preferred outcome at this point.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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