Not everyone was happy with Willard's decision to leave Maryland for Villanova, as his move reignited some controversy around coaches changing schools.

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.

Villanova is set to hire Maryland's Kevin Willard as its next head coach. FOX Sports' John Fanta has the story here.

Kevin Willard is bolting Maryland to become the Villanova head coach after an ugly saga in which the 49-year-old openly griped about aspects of the program during the team’s March Madness run. The Terrapins, a No. 4 seed, were eliminated by No. 1 Florida in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, and Villanova announced the hiring of Willard on Sunday.

The Villanova Wildcats have hired Maryland's Kevin Willard as their new coach. Willard had been linked to the Villanova job throughout the NCAA Tournament, where the Terrapins earned a No. 4 seed and reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida.

Nova's interest in Willard was well-known since the team parted with Kyle Neptune at the conclusion of their season, but instead of downplaying his potential exit, Willard used their interest as leverage in potential negotiations, publicly lambasting the Maryland athletic department's apparent lack of commitment to basketball.

Willard emphasized when the Terps were in Seattle that he loved coaching at Maryland, but he wanted the school to improve in NIL.

After a two-week search for Kyle Neptune's successor, Kevin Willard will be the next Villanova men's basketball coach.