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The Maryland basketball program is doing its best to hold onto basketball coach Kevin Willard as it navigates a tricky situation. The Terps currently have no athletic director after Damon Evans bailed for SMU.
All the while, Willard is making a list of demands in order to stick around at the university. Oh, and his team is gearing up for a Sweet 16 matchup vs. Florida.
Willard’s name has been linked to notable coaching searches across the sport. Villanova is a school picking up serious steam in terms of a potential marriage.
The Wildcats moved on from Kyle Neptune after three years. Kevin Willard spent more than a decade in the Big East with Seton Hall. Rumors have swirled about a possible return to the conference.
The head coach has done little to quiet that noise. When asked about his job status earlier this month, he took a moment to rip the university and his boss for failing to make a serious investment in his program. In short, he called Damon Evans cheap.
Now, Evans is gone. He bolted for SMU last week. That hasn’t stopped Willard from negotiating.
Kevin Willard says he wants to stay at Maryland.
He wants to make the Terps the best basketball brand in the nation. With that being said, there are things the athletic department needs to do in order to make that reality.
NIL is a concern. The coach claims to have the lowest payroll in the Big Ten.
“I need to see fundamental changes. I want this program to be great… but there’s things that need to change… We’ve been one of, if not the lowest, in NIL the last two years.”
-Kevin Willard
Despite the issue his issues with management, he’s supposedly told his players he has no intentions of leaving for Villanova. That hasn’t necessarily eased the minds of the Maryland faithful, who can sense his unhappiness.
With speculation still swirling, fans hoped to receive some clarity on the situation Tuesday. Willard was expected to appear on a DMV-area radio show that morning. He bailed. The Terps’ worries resurfaced.
Kevin Willard was scheduled to call into @JunksRadio at 9:40. No-showed.
— Jeff Ermann (@Jeff_Ermann) March 25, 2025
Can Maryland keep Willard at the helm?
“As of right now, I’m staying,” he said during a Tuesday interview with Kevin Sheehan. “Everything that my concerns have been about the job was that I want to make this program the best… It’s not a contractual thing for me – it’s a program thing… I’m not asking for that much.”
He also noted that he’s negotiating with vice president for marketing and communications Brian Ullman now that his athletic director is gone. The Terps haven’t yet replaced Damon Evans. Ullman is acting in that role, at least in regard to Willard, for the time being.
The coach says that they’ve developed a great relationship. He stated that his pleas for NIL support are now being heard.
Kevin Willard was able to provide some relief after breaking the silence on his job situation. He doesn’t want to leave, but he will if needs are not met.
Things seem to be trending in the right direction, which is good news given the timing of this distraction. Maryland is prepping for its first Sweet 16 matchup in nearly a decade. They’ll face the top-ranked Florida Gators with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.
Willard is focused on his current team. He’s also thinking about the future. As of now, that future looks like it will be spent with the Terps. We’ll see if anything changes moving forward.