John Fanta
College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter
After six seasons in College Station, Buzz Williams is heading to College Park.
Maryland is set to hire Williams to be the school’s next men’s basketball coach, sources told FOX Sports on Tuesday afternoon. The school later confirmed the report on social media.
The 52-year-old Williams spent the last six years at Texas A&M, where he took the Aggies to the last three NCAA Tournaments and garnered a pair of wins with one of the best guards in America, Wade Taylor IV.
For Maryland, timing was everything in this search after Kevin Willard left over the weekend for Villanova. With nearly 1,700 players in the transfer portal, the move had to be handled quickly by Maryland interim AD Colleen Sorem, and Williams and his agent had been floating his name around a variety of openings after “things had run their course to a degree at Texas A&M,” sources told FOX Sports.
Williams has reached four Sweet 16s and has gone to an Elite Eight in his 18 years as a head coach. Before arriving at Texas A&M in 2019, Williams spent five years at Virginia Tech and six seasons at Marquette before that. Known for his defensive pedigree, Williams-coached teams are always known for their physicality and toughness.
The first priority for Williams should be attempting to keep Rodney Rice, who is in the transfer portal but is open to a return to Maryland if it makes sense. The 6-foot-4 sophomore averaged 13.8 points per game and shot over 37% from 3-point range for a Maryland team that reached the Sweet 16 this past season. Maintaining Rice would set a good foundation for Williams.
The next question: Where does Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts go from here?
Alberts’ first call would likely be to Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard, who took the Rebels to the Sweet 16 this year and has been in the state of Texas while leading the Longhorns from 2021-23. Beard was fired midway through the 2022-23 season following a felony domestic violence arrest, a charge that was later dismissed. Having a stop in between could lead to A&M making this hire and Beard has won everywhere he’s been.
Look for Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans and Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes to be on the list as well.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.
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