As momentum builds for the possible departure of Maryland athletic director Damon Evans, Terps men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard’s future appears more firmly set, even as he advocated Thursday for “fundamental changes” to the program.

According to multiple sources, Evans is a candidate for the same position at Southern Methodist. Meanwhile, a source with direct knowledge said Willard has expressed his intention to remain at Maryland despite reports of interest from Villanova.

Willard said Thursday in Seattle, where fourth-seeded Maryland is preparing for its NCAA tournament opener Friday against No. 13 seed Grand Canyon, that Evans presented him with a term sheet for a contract extension on Sunday. Willard called it a difficult situation because Evans is “probably going to SMU.”

“It’s kind of tough to negotiate with somebody that’s maybe not here,” Willard said.

Willard said he wanted to make sure the program improved its funding for name, image and likeness opportunities and revenue sharing with student-athletes, claiming Maryland has been “one of the worst, if not [the] lowest, in NIL in the last two years.”

Willard also said he asked to spend an additional night in New York to celebrate Christmas with his team — the Terps played Syracuse in the Gotham Classic in Brooklyn on Dec. 21 — but was told it cost too much.

“I don’t know how we can be a top-tier program and I can’t spend one extra night in New York because it’s too expensive,” he said.

He added: “I need to make fundamental changes to the program. That’s what I’m focused on right now. That’s why probably a deal hasn’t gotten done, because I want to see, I need to see, fundamental changes done. I want this program to be great. 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.”

Evans announced in January that, starting in the 2025-26 season, Maryland would be sharing $20.5 million in revenue with its student-athletes, “with the vast majority of it going to our revenue-producing sports — football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball. This level of investment attests to our enduring commitment: to compete for conference and national championships.” It’s unclear how Maryland plans to apportion that revenue among the three teams.

Evans did not respond to multiple requests for comments Thursday. He canceled his appearance Thursday on 105.7 The Fan, according to radio host Vinny Cerrato.

In a statement, Harry Geller, a managing member of Maryland basketball’s NIL program, said: “Kevin is focused on making a big tournament run with a team he loves. He had a great year and brought excitement back to College Park and should be rewarded with a contract extension and more resources towards the basketball program.”

Rick Jaklitsch, a prominent Maryland booster, came out in support of Willard’s comments Thursday. In a phone conversation, Jaklitsch noted that the changing landscape of college sports requires larger monetary support.

“If you want to see a championship, you’ve got to write checks,” Jaklitsch said.

In eight years at the helm, Evans has presided over the athletic department as the Big Ten expanded to 18 schools while NIL deals reshaped college sports. He’s also overseen several facility upgrades, including the $149.3 million Jones-Hill House for football in 2021 and the basketball teams’ long-awaited practice facility, which is set to open before next season.

Evans’ big-name coaching hires have enjoyed mixed success. Football coach Mike Locksley, whom Evans hired in 2018, led the Terps to three straight bowl game wins from 2021 to 2023 but is 33-41 overall in six seasons. Former men’s basketball coach Mark Turgeon stepped down in December 2021, just seven months after signing a three-year contract extension worth over $17 million. Willard led Maryland back to the NCAA tournament in his first year after replacing Turgeon, but the Terps finished with a losing record last season for just the second time in over three decades.

Current SMU athletic director Rick Hart, who presided over the school’s move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, announced in February that he would be stepping down. The Mustangs made the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff this past season, their first in the ACC, and hired former USC coach Andy Enfield last year to lead their men’s basketball program.

Villanova, meanwhile, replaced the retiring two-time national champion coach Jay Wright with Kyle Neptune. But the program fired Neptune after three straight seasons in which the Wildcats didn’t make the NCAA tournament.

According to a copy of Evans’ contract at Maryland, acquired via a public information request, the school would be owed $500,000 if he leaves for another job in college or professional sports.

247Sports first reported that Willard is expected to stay and that Evans is being considered for the post at SMU.

Evans was promoted to athletic director in 2018, after leading the athletic department for six months while predecessor Kevin Anderson was on sabbatical. Evans joined the department in November 2014 as Maryland’s senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer, his first job since resigning as Georgia’s athletic director in 2010 following a DUI charge.

Evans was the administrative liaison for the football team when offensive lineman Jordan McNair, a Baltimore native, was hospitalized with heatstroke after an offseason workout in May 2018. McNair’s death in June later led to an investigation into the football program’s culture under coach D.J. Durkin, who was placed on administrative leave and then fired in October 2018.

An independent investigation reported to Maryland’s board of regents that Durkin, then-university President Wallace Loh and Evans all bore some responsibility for the program’s environment, which “festered because too many players feared speaking out.”

Evans signed a contract extension in August that runs through June 2029. This month, he was appointed to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.

”Maryland Athletics has experienced tremendous success under the leadership of Damon Evans,” university President Darryll J. Pines said in a statement after announcing Evans’ extension. “In a transformative time in the collegiate landscape, Damon has proved to be an extremely effective leader in guiding our athletic department to championship heights, both on and off the playing fields. He has positioned our Terrapins for long-term success on the national stage and I couldn’t be more pleased to have him leading the department for years to come under his mantra of One Maryland.”

This story has been updated.