Willard spent three seasons in College Park.
After weeks of speculation, Maryland men’s basketball’s Kevin Willard agreed to become Villanova’s next head coach, the program confirmed Sunday.
Willard, 49, spent the last three seasons in College Park, accumulating a 65-29 record. He led the Terps to a 27-9 record and a Sweet 16 appearance this year, their most successful season in nearly a decade. Maryland’s season ended Thursday, when it fell to No. 1-seed Florida, 87-71.
Willard’s name first came up as a top candidate when the job opened on March 15. Since then, he has done little to settle the rumors, despite the team being in the middle of an NCAA Tournament run.
Before the Terps first took the court on a national stage, Willard aired out his issues and concerns with the program, saying he needed to see fundamental changes in the program before signing an extension. Willard failed to deny his interest in the Villanova job throughout the next week, before claiming he had no idea what he was doing with his future and if Villanova offered him the job or not after the team’s loss to Florida.
Maryland offered Willard a significant salary increase and one of the highest revenue-share budgets in the Big Ten, school president Darryll Pines and interim athletic director Colleen Sorem said in a release Sunday. But Willard still chose Villanova.
The school’s search for a new leader has already begun.
Prior to Maryland, Willard spent 12 seasons at Seton Hall, leading the program to six NCAA Tournament berths. He led the Pirates to the Big East Tournament championship in 2015-16 and the regular season title in 2019-20. He also won Big East Coach of the Year in 2016.
Villanova is coming off a 19-14 season, in which it missed the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season under Kyle Neptune, leading to his dismissal. The Wildcats are still one of the most storied programs in college basketball with three national championships and 40 NCAA Tournament appearances, the seventh-most all-time.
“Villanova Basketball has a deep tradition of excellence and a culture that is second to none in college basketball,” Willard said in a release. “We are thrilled to be a part of it and join the Villanova community.”