Three years since the dominant program made an NCAA appearance, and they are left grappling for a fresh start. “An interesting name that has come up multiple times concerning Villanova’s head coach vacancy: Bob Huggins,” came the news less than 24 hours ago. After Richard Pitino’s last-minute decision to sign with Xavier, even Huggins, without any coaching experience for the last 2 years, seemed like a good fit. Fortunately, the team moved swiftly and brought another prospect into the loop.

According to a new report by NJ.com journalist Adam Zagoria, Villanova is currently waiting on Kevin Willard. The report comes out just as CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein highlights that Maryland has an offer for Willard right now that would pay him “over $5 million” annually. In the end, the decision will have to be made by him on whether to align with Maryland or return to the Big East at Villanova.

“Kevin Willard is going to weigh the offer to stay at Maryland… or he’s going to go be the next head coach at Villanova,” said Rothstein on Wednesday.

The 49-year-old college basketball coach has over 28 years of experience to his name. 3 of those, he gained with the Maryland Terrapins. In another situation, Willard would not even be considered in the discussion of becoming the head coach for another team.

Over the last two weeks, Willard has reportedly been open with the media about calling for a fundamental change with the basketball program at Maryland. From NIL to revenue sharing, he has clearly highlighted what he needs from the College Park folks to get them to keep him with the Terrapins.

Maryland is currently in the ‘Sweet 16’ stage of March Madness. Losing the head coach who has led the program to seven 20-win seasons at this point would prove harmful. However, with the recent departure of former AD Damon Evans to SMU, the process of signing a new deal, and caving to Willard’s demands, has reportedly become ‘increasingly complicated’. Therefore, a potential exit cannot be completely ruled out.

When one door closes, another one opens. If an exit announcement is made soon, then the Villanova Wildcats can attempt to bring Willard to their side. The team could potentially adhere to the Maryland HC’s demands, as they are in dire need of a coach right now. Villanova has had a hard time since Jay Wright abruptly resigned back in 2022. The program turned to Kyle Neptune, Wright’s longtime assistant. However, a period of inconsistent performances and missing out on the NCAA tournament every time in the last three seasons made the team lose confidence in him.

After Neptune’s exit, the team turned to Richard Pitino. According to Rob Reinhart, Pitino was considering both Villanova and Xavier’s during the last couple of days. He had reportedly been on calls with both camps. The former New Mexico Lobos head coach had originally agreed to sign with Villanova. However, he had not signed a formal contract immediately. This allowed Xavier to later counter-offer Pitino with a significantly better monetary deal. So Chris Mack declined, Pitino signed in, and the Wildcats were shifted back to square one.

That’s when the possibility of Huggins came in. But with Willard in the talks, it all but closes the case for the 71-year-old. It would be a shame. After all, Huggins is a Naismith Hall of Famer with 45 years of coaching experience under his name. During his 16-season tenure with West Virginia, he took the team’s win record to 345-203. It also included a run to the Final Four in the 2009–2010 season. However, the 71-year-old has also not coached since June 2023. This makes him a bit rusty in light of a potential return. For now, Villanova might want someone fresh.

Cutting ties with Maryland is not something Kevin Willard wishes to do. However, given the situation around him, he has made it clear he has no choice.

Kevin Willard ‘loves’ his job but will take Villanova position if things don’t “change”

The ‘Athletic’ reporter Lindsay Schnell recently covered the ongoing situation between the Maryland Terrapins and Kevin Willard. According to her, a discussion had taken place about leaving the fourth-seeded Terrapins and jumping to Villanova. It was something he had talked to his team about. Yes, Willard has reportedly been offered a contract extension by Maryland. However, he won’t sign anything yet until the program meets his expectations.

“I want this program to be great,” said Willard. He added, “I want it to be the best in the country, I want to win a national championship, but there’s things that need to change. … I need to make sure that where we are with (name, image and likeness) and revenue share is not where we’ve been with NIL over the past two years. We’ve been one of the worst, if not lowest, in the NIL in the last two years. So that’s first and foremost.”

According to Schnell, Willard knows the Villanova job is his if he wants it. Furthermore, the reporter believes that Willard’s recent comments, in which he highlighted how the team lost Hakim Hart to Villanova, the HC used Villanova intentionally. To any doubters, the Maryland HC cleared his stance by stating, “I think everyone is looking at this like I don’t like this job. I love this job. It’s a phenomenal job. I just want to make the job the best job. And there’s a huge difference in that.”

Maryland or Villanova? Wanna bet where the head coach chooses to spend his next few years? Let us know your answer in the comments section down below.