Buzz Williams, Maryland Reportedly Agree to Contract as HC After Kevin Willard's Exit

Maryland has reached an agreement with Buzz Williams to make him the new men's basketball coach, according to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported the sides finalized a six-year contract.

Williams just wrapped up his sixth season with the Aggies, who went 23-11 and lost to Michigan in the second round of the NCAA tournament. It was the school's third straight trip to the Big Dance.

Williams leaves with the third-most wins (120) in program history along with a .622 winning percentage.

Maryland will be the fifth stop in his coaching career. His best run came at Marquette, where the Golden Eagles made the Sweet 16 in 2011 and 2012 before advancing to the Elite Eight in 2013. He also guided Virginia Tech to its first Sweet 16 appearance in more than five decades in 2019.

Beyond the fact Williams has a positive track record, he's likely to receive some residual goodwill by virtue of how much the fanbase turned on his predecessor.

Villanova made the hiring of Kevin Willard official Sunday. From Maryland's perspective, a sense of inevitability was associated with Willard's exit. Fans didn't take kindly to the fact the speculation overshadowed the Terrapins' Elite Eight appearance. Preemptively announcing the departure of athletic director Damon Evans was a puzzling choice too.

For as much success as Maryland enjoyed in 2024-25, Williams will inherit a difficult challenge.

Star center Derik Queen is the projected No. 5 overall pick in the newest mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman. Queen hasn't said whether or not he's declaring, but it's safe to assume he won't be back next year.

Guards Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice are in the transfer portal, while forward Julian Reese and guard Selton Miguel are graduating.

That's all the players who averaged double figures in scoring for the Terps.

The portal presents coaches with an opportunity to quickly replenish the roster. Williams and his staff will have their work cut out for them in order to hit the ground running in Year 1.