Kevin Willard's long-anticipated move has come to fruition as he is leaving Maryland to take Villanova's vacant head basketball coach opening, ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported on Sunday morning.
He'll be replacing Kyle Neptune, who was fired on March 15 after failing to make the NCAA tournament in any of his three seasons at Villanova. The Wildcats went 54-47 (.535) under Neptune.
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.
The brash coach has made headlines in recent weeks, publicly ripping the lack of investment the athletic department has made in his program. His statements turned off Terrapin fans, who booed their coach before Maryland lost to Florida in the Sweet 16.
After six seasons as an assistant at Louisville under Rick Pitino, Willard was hired as the head coach at Iona in 2007. After struggling in his first two seasons, the Gaels went 21-10 in Year 3, after which Seton Hall hired him away.
Willard spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Seton Hall, and during that time, the Pirates went 225-161 (.583). They also reached the NCAA tournament in five of his final seven seasons in charge and won a Big East title in 2020. After Seton Hall went 21-11 and made the NCAA tournament during the 2021-22 campaign, Maryland hired Willard.
In his first season Willard led the Terrapins to a 22-13 record and the second round of the NCAA tournament. His second season in 2023-24 was difficult, as the team went 16-17 and 7-13 in the Big Ten. Things turned around this year and now he's moving back to the Big East.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Villanova to Hire Kevin Willard After Three Seasons at Maryland.
