Villanova Coaching Search: Buyout Details for Willard, Cronin

If Villanova plans to hire a head coach currently under contract with another school, they will need to pay that school a buyout in order to release their new hire from his active deal.

With Maryland’s Kevin Willard and UCLA’s Mick Cronin two of the major names circulating on the Wildcats’ reported list, here’s what Villanova would need to do in order to bring them to the Main Line. Willard signed a seven year, $29.4 million contract with the Terrapins back in May 2022, meaning he still has four years left on the deal.

His buyout currently sits at $2 million, but that number will drop down to $1.5 million on Tuesday, April 1 when the contract rolls over. Granted, the Wildcats might not want to wait things out and put themselves at a disadvantage in recruiting and the transfer portal, but a verbal agreement could help smooth things over in the interim.

Checking in on Cronin

Cronin signed a six year extension during the same cycle as Willard, so three years remain on his contract. When he inked his new deal with the Bruins, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times reported that his buyout figure stood at $16 million through March 31, 2025, with that number dropping down to $10 million the following day: a good deal pricier than Willard, and $6 million is as good an incentive as any to wait out a formal deal. Cronin’s Bruins fell out of the NCAA Tournament late on Saturday, March 22, so those rumors could start to pick up steam with an otherwise free schedule.

On the other end of the spectrum, Villanova target Richard Pitino’s buyout will clock in at a much cheaper rate thanks to the departure of former New Mexico athletic director Eddie Nuñez, triggering a clause to slash his buyout in half. Needless to say, the Lobos don’t pay out the big bucks for coaches like UCLA or Maryland do, even without a 50 percent rate cut.

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