Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams has been named the new Maryland men’s basketball coach, the school announced Tuesday, capping a week of upheaval for the program.

Williams, 52, who’s led the Aggies to three straight NCAA tournament appearances, will be introduced Wednesday in College Park. He’s reportedly receiving a six-year deal.

Williams’ hiring comes just two days after former coach Kevin Willard finalized a deal with Villanova, ending a protracted standoff with Maryland’s athletic department throughout the Terps’ run to the Sweet 16.

“It is an honor and privilege to be named the head coach of the University of Maryland men’s basketball team,” Williams said in a statement. “I want to thank President [Darryll] Pines and [interim Athletic Director] Colleen Sorem for this opportunity to lead one of the most prestigious programs in the country. In leading this program, I promise to uphold the history of Maryland basketball and make Terp Nation proud with the men who represent this institution.”

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Williams went 120-73 over six seasons at Texas A&M and 56-44 in Southeastern Conference play, twice earning SEC Coach of the Year honors. He’s 69-36 over the past three years but advanced beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament just once. Over his past two coaching stops — five years at Virginia Tech and six at Texas A&M — Williams has four NCAA tournament wins and one Sweet 16 appearance. Maryland has eight NCAA tournament wins and two Sweet 16 appearances in that same span.

Williams has won at least 100 games at Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M, and is one of 12 active Division I head coaches to win at least one NCAA tournament game at three different programs. But he last made the Sweet 16 in 2018-19, his final season with the Hokies. Before that, Williams’ previous appearance in the NCAA tournament’s second weekend came in 2012-13.

He will take over a Maryland program starved for consistent postseason success and searching for stable leadership. Willard’s abrupt exit after a breakthrough season raised questions about the Terps’ commitment to their program and limited their pool of potential replacements. The top candidates in this year’s coaching carousel, including former UMBC and new Virginia coach Ryan Odom, were hired two weeks ago.

Former Maryland athletic director Damon Evans, who hired Willard in 2022, left the school in mid-March to take the same position at Southern Methodist. Willard pointed to that leadership void as he pushed for more support throughout the NCAA tournament, saying he wanted the program “to be the best it can be. I think I’m not asking for that much.”

In a letter to fans, Pines and Sorem said Sunday that the school took a “very proactive and aggressive approach to retain Coach Willard, offering a significant contract extension and salary increase, new staff, and one of the highest revenue-share budgets” in the Big Ten Conference.

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“We are thrilled to bring a coach of the caliber of Buzz Williams to the University of Maryland,” Sorem said in a statement. “His incredible record of success at three prominent basketball programs speaks for itself, but we were equally impressed with his tireless work ethic and his dedication to building a program the right way. He embraces the high expectations here at Maryland and we are all excited to get started on this new era in Maryland basketball.”

Added Pines: “Maryland Athletics is an important part of the University of Maryland community. Finding the right person to lead Maryland Men’s Basketball was critical to the continued success of our program, both on and off the court. With an exemplary record of competitive success and a demonstrated commitment to providing leadership and development to our student-athletes, Coach Buzz Williams is the ideal coach to lead us forward. We could not be more thrilled to welcome him to College Park.”

Williams’ new deal is expected to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country. According to USA Today, Williams was set to make $4.6 million this year at Texas A&M, the 17th-highest figure among Division I coaches with publicly available contracts.

In College Park, he could inherit a barren roster. Four of the five members of this season’s “Crab Five” starting lineup — guards Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel, and forward Julian Reese — are either in the transfer portal or out of eligibility, and star freshman center Derik Queen is expected to enter the NBA draft.