Texas A&M basketball's future is hanging in the balance after Tuesday's news that Buzz Williams will leave the program after six seasons, as the rumors and verified reports trickled into the start of the week. For those of us who cover the Aggies professionally, this move was in the making since A&M exited the NCAA Tournament in the second round.
Going into the 2024-2025 regular season, Williams was well aware that he would be losing eight players to graduation, including star guard Wade Taylor IV, who broke the program's all-time scoring record during the final game of the regular season. Coupled with forward Henry Coleman III and Andersson Garcia also departing, Williams was looking toward a second complete rebuild, something he wasn't ready to do again in College Station.
After Kevin Willard announced that he would leave Maryland after three seasons for the vacant Villanova position, Williams' flirtation with the job became a reality on Monday after interviewing with the Terrapins, which went much better than several of the younger candidates, which included UConn assistant Luke Murray.
With Williams off to the Big Ten, Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts will make his first significant hiring decision less than a year after hiring first-year baseball coach Michael Earley to replace Jim Schlossnagle. Earley's struggles have not provided comfort to Albert's future hiring, but plenty of young and veteran candidates are available to replace Buzz Williams.
Here is the latest head coach hotboard for an interesting coaching search.
Chris Crutchfield, Omaha
Current Position: Head coach
Buyout: N/A
Chris Crutchfield is a name that Aggie fans should probably become familiar with, given his connection to Trev Alberts, who served as Omaha's Athletic Director from 2009-2021, a year before Crutchfield was hired. Since then, the 56-year-old coach has slowly built the Maverick's program back to its former, leading the team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time this season.
Crutchfield also served as a longtime assistant under former Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger, helping lead the Sooners to the 2016 Final Four.
TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State
Current Position: Head coach
Buyout: 29 million
TJ Otzelberger should be the No. 1 name on Trev Alberts, and it's not even close. Otzelberger is a program builder who isn't strictly defense-minded compared to Williams' tenure. After returning to Iowa State as the program's newest head coach during the 2021 season, the Cyclones have made four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Sweet 16s.
Bryce Drew, Grand Canyon
Current Position: Head coach
Buyout: N/A
Bryce Drew is another name that should and will likely become a legitimate target for Alberts over the next few days, as the former Valparaiso standout has been with Grand Canyon for the last five seasons. All he's done is lead the program to a 120-40 record and four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the second round during the 2023-2024 season. ...
