The Terps’ season ended Thursday, reigniting rumors of Willard’s future.
Maryland men’s basketball’s season ended Thursday night in an 87-71 loss to Florida in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. It took just one question before Kevin Willard was asked about his future with the program in the postgame press conference.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Willard said. “I haven’t talked to my agent, I haven’t talked to my wife. I made a promise to this team that I was going to just focus on this team, and that’s all I’ve done.”
Willard, 49, has been heavily rumored for Villanova’s coaching vacancy, with Jeff Ermann of Inside Maryland Sports reporting Thursday night that Willard “has been gone for days, if not a week.” Willard said he has no idea whether Villanova has made him an offer or not.
Willard’s concerns reside with who the next athletics director will be, as Damon Evans left for SMU last week. Prior to Evans’ official departure, Willard said last week he needed to see fundamental changes to the program’s NIL budget and revenue share before signing an extension.
“In today’s day and age, that worries me a little bit,” Willard said of the athletics director vacancy. “This is going to be a family decision. … I love College Park, I love Maryland, but … I have to take everything into consideration about what’s going on moving forward.”
Willard said the only person he has talked to about his job is deputy athletic director Brian Ullman; Willard also doesn’t know whether Ullman will remain with the school.
Willard has sent Maryland fans through a whirlwind of emotion over the last week, sucking some of the excitement out of the team’s first Sweet 16 appearance in nine years. But he stood behind the decision to openly talk about the program and his concerns, saying he does not regret it.
“I understand fans are going to be pissed because I’m in limbo and this and that, I get it,” Willard said. “I’m kind of pissed, to be honest with you, I didn’t expect to be in this situation.”