Pete Thamel shares massive update on Kevin Willard rumors, timeline on decision for future at Maryland

ESPN’s Pete Thamel shared a massive update on Maryland head coach Kevin Willard and his future. Whether he stays at Maryland or goes off to somewhere like Villanova is anyone’s guess at this point.

However, Willard might be nearing a decision after he was non-committal on his coaching future. Recent reports suggested he plans to leave Maryland for Villanova following the Terrapins exit from the NCAA Tournament.

As of now, Villanova is on hold with the remainder of their search. It seems to be all about Willard as of Saturday.

“A decision for Kevin Willard is imminent,” Thamel said on College GameDay. “It’s pretty simple. Villanova has stalled their search to wait for Kevin Willard, and he’s gotten through, obviously, the Sweet 16 after Maryland lost, they flew back yesterday from San Francisco, landed about 7pm and Villanova has kept things tight. 

“And Maryland has obviously made it clear that they want Kevin Willard too. Kevin Willard is the favorite to go to Villanova, but it’s simply put, he needs to make a decision here, either way, fairly soon. I’ve been told, at least in the next 48 hours, we will have some clarity from Kevin Willard on where he will go.”

Willard is 65-39 in three years at Maryland, getting to the NCAA Tournament in two of those three seasons. They advanced to the Sweet 16 this year and Willard sports a 335-249 career record with Iona, Seton Hall and Maryland.

However, there’s some irony linked to the Maryland job if Willard is deciding between them and Villanova. It could set up a very interesting domino effect.

“For Villanova, it’s pretty simple Rece,” Thamel said. “Kevin Willard was a successful coach at Seton Hall, which is one of the worst Big East jobs. He had seven straight winning seasons in league play, to include his time at Seton Hall. He’s led teams to seven different NCAA tournaments. He’s an accomplished guy. He fits in the Northeast Corridor. If Kevin Willard decides to stay at Maryland, and again, he mentioned that he does not have an athletic director that he knows, the next candidate up is believed to be Porter Moser of Oklahoma. 

“It’s an interesting name, because he would likely be on Maryland’s list if they have a job search. Maryland has not stayed flat footed. They have started to prepare for Kevin Willard’s departure. They’re hoping to keep him and we will know in the near future, where he decides.”