Bucky McMillan Among ESPN’s Candidates for Coach of the Year

In his first year as a head coach in a power conference, Bucky McMillan has emerged as a candidate for Coach of the Year.

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Bucky McMillan looks on before the game against the Texas Southern Tigers at Reed Arena. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Bucky McMillan’s ascension from budding high school basketball coach to successful college basketball coach has been rapid.

From 2008 to 2020, McMillan was the head coach at Mountain Brook High School in Mountain Brook, Ala., leading the Spartans to three 7A and two 6A basketball championships. He then took the job at Samford, where he won three consecutive SoCon Coach of the Year awards and the 2024 SoCon Tournament.

In 2026, he and the Texas A&M Aggies sit atop the SEC with a 17–5 (7–2 in the SEC) record, and he is considered a candidate for the Coach of the Year award.

Bucky McMillan Among ESPN’s Top 12 Coach of the Year Candidates

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Bucky McMillan reacts during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum. | David Leong-Imagn Images

Despite being picked to finish 13th in the preseason SEC media poll, the Aggies have stood out as a potential top 25 team and could push for their fourth consecutive March Madness appearance. McMillan has been instrumental in this turnaround on his first season as the Aggies’ head coach.

Following Texas A&M’s second-round exit last March, head coach Buzz Williams left for the Maryland job. Not considered one of the most valuable positions on the market, the role was left unfilled until April 5, 2025, making McMillan one of the last coaches hired in the cycle.

Just 22 games into his first season at the power-conference level, though, McMillan’s coaching prowess has shown through as the Aggies appear to be early SEC contenders. For his midseason success, he was ranked 11th by ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf among Coach of the Year candidates.

“Could Bucky Ball translate to the SEC? The answer has been a resounding yes so far,” wrote Borzello. “… He's brought his distinctive brand of basketball — fast-paced, lots of 3-pointers, suffocating pressure defense — with him. Despite returning zero players from the Aggies' rotation last season, he has the squad on track for the NCAA tournament and in contention for an SEC title."

Texas A&M Aggies guard Pop Isaacs (2) reacts to a three-point basket against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

With Williams, the Aggies went to consecutive SEC Tournament title games, but none of that core remains in 2026. Nearly all of Texas A&M’s current roster was reconstructed through the transfer portal, a testament to McMillan and his staff’s eyes for talent.

Rashaun Agee has emerged as a potential All-SEC candidate, averaging 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. In conference play, he has elevated his game to 16.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

The former All-MAC forward was championed by McMillan, who claimed during Agee’s eligibility proceedings that he could develop into a first-round pick in College Station, Texas. While Agee is not likely to be there yet, he has been one of the faces of the program.

North Alabama transfer Jacari Lane leads the Aggies in assists (3.9) while Kansas transfer Rylan Griffen averages 11.5 points and a team-high 1.7 steals per game. Creighton guard Pop Isaacs leads the team in bench scoring.

Meanwhile, starting big man Mackenzie Mgbako is expected to miss the rest of the season with a foot injury after just seven games. NC State transfer Marcus Hill and Spanish guard Rubén Dominguez round out the six Aggies averaging double-digit points, including Mgbako.

McMillan is one of two SEC coaches in ESPN’s top 12, joining Vanderbilt’s Mark Byington, who ranks third. The two could likely be the finalists for SEC Coach of the Year in 2026.