The Villanova Wildcats have traditionally had one of the most storied programs in all of college basketball. And on Sunday morning, the program made a decision that they hope will return the team to prominence quickly.
After a third straight year of missing out on the NCAA Tournament, Villanova opted to part ways with head coach Kyle Neptune once their year concluded.
Since then, several names have popped up in their search for a new head coach. But one in particular, Maryland head coach Kevin Willard, has been the lead man for the job ever since Maryland’s hopes of a National Championship came to an end in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.
Villanova finally made the highly speculated move official on Sunday morning, naming Willard the next head coach of the program, first reported by Maryland beat writer Jeff Ermann.
InsideMDSports (not TMZ) exclusive: Kevin Willard is Villanova-bound. After leading the Terps to the Sweet 16 but finishing with an odd saga of public hints at his impending exit, he leaves UMD needing a quick replacement and likely a depleted roster. https://t.co/S3scHRhfOM
— Jeff Ermann (@Jeff_Ermann) March 30, 2025
Willard has shown to be an excellent head coach in his latest stint in college basketball at Maryland, helping the program reach the NCAA Tournament in two of the three years he was coaching the Terrapins.
And given the fact that Willard has longstanding ties to the Big East as a former head coach at Seton Hall, the decision for Villanova to make a move for Willard now certainly makes a ton of sense.
Only time will tell whether Willard can turn around a once-proud Villanova program. But given his recent stretch of success at Maryland, Wildcat fans should at least be excited that the program now has a direction heading into the 2025-26 season.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.