Willard has been connected to the Villanova coaching search for weeks so this doesn't come as much of a surprise. The 49-year-old just finished his best season at Maryland, in which the Terrapins went 27-9 and reached the Sweet 16 in the 2025 NCAA tournament. That followed his first two seasons, which would generously be deemed up and down.

The Terrapins signed Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams to a six-year deal to be their next head coach, according to ESPN . Williams, 52, has spent the last six seasons with the Aggies, leading the team to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Maryland men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard has left the program to become the next coach at Villanova, which announced the hire Sunday morning. In a statement published a few hours after Villanova’s announcement,