Villanova Coaching Search: Yet Another Willard Bombshell

Kevin Willard, the Maryland Terrapins head coach and apparent front runner in the Villanova Wildcats’ search to replace Kyle Neptune, put on another viral press conference performance on Wednesday, March 26 as his team prepares for a Sweet Sixteen date with No. 1 seed Florida.

Asked about his ongoing contract negotiations with the Terrapins — and his controversial approach to them (more on that later) — Willard dodged the line of inquiry in deadpan fashion, spending the next 30 seconds talking about the threat that Florida point guard Walter Clayton Jr. poses to his team tomorrow.

Watch the clip in its entirety below. It’s a gem.

Kevin Willard with a masterclass in deflection 🤣 pic.twitter.com/oE8vz9sOTK

— Tommy Godin (@tommygodinjr) March 26, 2025

Willard’s Maneuvering

Willard — whose buyout figure, should Villanova poach him, sits in the low seven figures — first started shaking things up on March 20 when asked about his ongoing contract negotiations with the Terrapins. Although he’d popped up as a name on the Villanova athletic department’s shortlist soon after Neptune’s firing, CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported on March 16 that Willard and the Terrapins had closed in on a deal. Updates petered out after that, prompting questions from reporters.

Willard responded by divulging that then-Terrapins athletic director Damon Evans had his eyes set on the same position at SMU, describing the difficulty of agreeing to a contract with someone in the process of leaving town themselves. He then went into a lengthy breakdown of where he and Maryland’s administration didn’t see eye to eye, namely the funds devoted to revenue sharing, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals and other aspects of operations… queuing the rumor mill to kick up that Willard might want to leave town too.

Willard appeared on a D.C. area sports podcast on March 25 and said “as of right now, I’m staying” when asked about his commitment to the Terrapins, once again leaving the door open to the possibility of his leaving town.

Soon after Willard’s March 26 press conference masterclass, Rothstein reported that Villanova is waiting on Willard, a legitimate update after days of stagnation.

Click here for Philadelphia Sports Now’s full coverage of the Villanova Wildcats head coaching search.

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