Breaking :Maryland is hiring Texas A &M’s Buzz Williams as its next head basketball coach

Maryland men’s basketball hired Buzz Williams, who spent the last six years at Texas A&M, as its next head coach, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported Tuesday.

The two sides agreed on a six-year contract, Peter Thamel of ESPN reported.

The move comes just two days after former head coach Kevin Willard officially accepted the same role at Villanova, ending a two-week-long saga that clouded the Terps’ Sweet 16 run.

During his time at Texas A&M, Williams, 52, accumulated a 120-73 record (.622) and led the Aggies to the last three NCAA Tournaments, falling in the first or second round in each. He is also a two-time SEC Coach of the Year (2019-20, 2022-23).

This season, Texas A&M totaled a 23-11 overall and 11-7 conference record. It reached the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32, but lost to Michigan, 91-79, as a No. 4 seed.

Williams started his head coaching career in 2006 at New Orleans, where he spent just a year. He then assumed Marquette’s head coaching role in 2008, leading the Golden Eagles to five NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight, as well as a Big East regular season title, in six years before moving on to Virginia Tech. Williams guided the Hokies to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in the five seasons prior to his time at Texas A&M.

“It is an honor and privilege to be named the head coach of the University of Maryland men’s basketball team,” Williams said in a release. “I want to thank President Pines and Colleen Sorem for this opportunity to lead one of the most prestigious programs in the country. In leading this program, I promise to uphold the history of Maryland basketball and make Terp Nation proud with the men who represent this institution.”

The Texas native will have work to do immediately upon his arrival in College Park with five Terps in the transfer portal, some of which willing to come back under the right circumstances, and only four players still on the active roster — excluding Derik Queen who is expected to enter the 2025 NBA Draft.

Maryland finished with a 27-9 record this season and appeared in its first Sweet 16 in nine years.

Williams has hopped from job to job over the last 15 years, but Maryland hopes he sticks with the Terps.