Former Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams Makes Shocking Recruiting Admission

This offseason, the Texas A&M Aggies have essentially had to start from scratch.

After head coach Buzz Williams left to take the same job with the Maryland Terrapins, the Aggies had to replace nearly every player on their roster after finishing 23-11 and earning a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season. New head coach Bucky McMillan has done a good job of picking up the pieces, but it's hard to build the roster back up after losing that much production.

As it turns out, though, Williams might've hurt the program in more ways than previously thought.

Buzz Williams Admits to Shady Recruiting Move

March 20, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams and guard Wade Taylor IV (4) reacts after the win over Yale Bulldogs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

During a recent press conference, Williams admitted to recruiting transfer guard Myles Rice to Maryland while still being the head coach at Texas A&M. Though he claims it wasn't malicious, it's definitely a bad look to recruit a player to one school while coaching at another.

"I didn't try to recruit Myles to come to Maryland, that wasn't the intent of the conversation, but I knew within a couple of hours if I was taking that job that my family and I would be on a plane, and he would still be on a visit to Texas A&M," Williams told reporters.

Rice, who previously spent time at Washington State (2021-24) and Indiana (2024-25), is averaging 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game for his career. He's also shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from three-point range and 81.4 percent from the free-throw line. He could've been a valuable player had the Aggies landed him, but alas.

Technically, Williams did not commit an NCAA violation by doing this, but again, it's not a good look. He already ransacked the Aggies' roster, taking players such as guard Andre Mills and forwards Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington with him to Maryland, but stealing away a potential transfer addition hurts on a different level.

Williams enjoyed some success at Texas A&M, leading the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons while improving almost every year. However, he failed to make it past the first weekend of the tournament in each of those three appearances, and the way he left definitely didn't sit right with many fans.

McMillan, formerly the head coach at Samford, definitely had his work cut out for him, but will still look to lead the Aggies into a new era with his fast, exciting brand of basketball.