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.

Villanova is set to hire Maryland head coach Kevin Willard, according to ESPN. The former Iona and Seton Hall head coach leaves the Terrapins after three seasons and returns to the Big East. Willard steps in for Kyle Neptune,

Villanova hired Maryland’s Kevin Willard as its new coach Sunday to replace the fired Kyle Neptune. Willard had been linked to the Villanova job throughout the NCAA Tournament, where the Terrapins earned a No. 4 seed and reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida. Maryland went 27-9 this season and 14-6 in the Big Ten Conference.