Report: Maryland to hire Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams as next head coach

Following Kevin Willard‘s departure for Villanova, Maryland appears to have found its new coach. Texas A&M head man Buzz Williams is on the move again per Jon Rothstein.

Williams has previous experience on the east coast, having spent 2014-19 at Virginia Tech. Now he’ll get a chance to operate in yet another power conference, this time in the Big Ten.

The 52-year-old head coach is coming off an incredible run of success at Texas A&M. This season, the Aggies reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

Texas A&M has now made the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons after last appearing in the Big Dance in 2018. It took Williams a little bit to get things going, but once he did the Aggies were a formidable team.

Buzz Williams posted a 16-14 record in his inaugural season in College Station, including a 10-8 mark in conference play. But COVID-19 prevented the team from making an NCAA Tournament appearance.

He then posted an 8-10 mark during a COVID-19-impacted 2020-21 campaign. Texas A&M had eight games canceled due to pandemic-related issues.

The following seasons saw the Aggies really start to turn things up. The program finished 27-13 and reached the NIT title game, falling to finish as the NIT runner-up.

Buzz Williams then started cruising as star guard Wade Taylor really began to come into his own. Texas A&M won 25 games in 2022-23, including 15 games in SEC play, finishing second in the league. The team did not, however, fare well in the NCAA Tournament, suffering an upset at the hands of 10-seed Penn State.

Texas A&M would then go 21-15 and 23-11 over the next two seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 each time. For his part, Williams helped mold a solid and cohesive group.

Now, taking on the Maryland job, Buzz Williams will simply be tasked with keeping the program elevated. The Terrapins are coming off a Sweet 16 run under Willard.