Buzz Wiliams has had a relatively successful six-season tenure at Texas A&M. Williams has led the Aggies to three straight NCAA Tournaments and took them to back-to-back SEC Tournament finals in 2022 and 2023. However, fans remain divided on Williams’ future in College Station, as some believe he may have reached his ceiling with the Aggies.
Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams motions during the first half against the Yale Bulldogs.Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images
Talks of Williams potentially leaving Texas A&M have ramped up in the past two days, thanks to a potential opening in the Big Ten. Maryland and Williams could have mutual interest if current Maryland head coach Kevin Willard leaves the Terrapins. Willard is linked to the Villanova opening, which has been a controversial situation. Willard is rumored to have skipped Maryland’s team dinner the night before the Terrapins Sweet 16 loss to Florida and has made multiple ambiguous comments to the media about his future.
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“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Willard said after Maryland’s loss to Florida Thursday. “I love College Park and I love Maryland, but when you’re at this point in your career… I have to take everything into consideration about what’s moving forward.”
If the Maryland job opens, the coaching search will certainly be interesting. Maryland athletic director Damon Evans recently took the same position at SMU, leaving the Terrapins without an athletic director and making a potential coaching search more difficult. Despite the uncertainty, it has been reported that Williams would be one of the leading candidates at Maryland, with the below post causing a stir amongst fans.
Williams makes sense as a candidate for the Maryland job, given his success at all three of his power conference stops. Plus, Williams has never stayed at one head coaching job long-term, making it plausible that he would leave Texas A&M. In his career, Williams coached at New Orleans for just one season, Marquette for six seasons and Virginia Tech for five. If Williams stays at Texas A&M for next season, it would be his seventh season with the Aggies, making it the longest he’s stayed at one job
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Other potential candidates for the Maryland job, if it opens, are former Rhode Island head coach and current Maryland assistant David Cox, American head coach Duane Simpkins and George Mason head coach Tony Skinn. All three have connections to Maryland and head coaching experience, but Williams sticks out as the only candidate with past NCAA Tournament success.
Given Williams’ lack of longevity in the past and recent postseason struggles at Texas A&M, leaving for Maryland is a real possibility. If Willard departs for Villanova, which seems likely, expect Williams to be one of the top candidates to take over and lead the Terrapins.
