Texas A&M basketball wants to compete in the SEC, so they’re preparing an offer that will make Buzz Williams the second highest paid coach in the conference.
Athletic director Scott Woodward apparently isn’t messing around. Texas A&M basketball is in the market for a new head coach after firing Billy Kennedy at the conclusion of this season, and reports they are targeting Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams have come out from basically every outlet.
This latest news proves they may have been even more laser-focused than anyone anticipated.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported on Saturday, a day after Williams’ Hokies were narrowly defeated by No. 1 overall seed Duke in the Sweet 16, the Aggies are preparing an offer that would make Williams the second highest paid coach in the SEC.
Sources: Texas A&M is expected to offer Virginia Tech's Buzz Williams a multi-year deal worth a minimum of $3.5 million dollars annually to be its next head basketball coach. Aggies have no secondary candidate.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 30, 2019
The salary is not all that surprising. Williams makes $3 million at Virginia Tech, so the Aggies would need to come over the top to get him out of the ACC. The fact that there is no secondary candidate is somewhat surprising. It conveys an elevated level of confidence that I’m not sure anyone expected Woodward to have.
However, it’s not a stretch to think Williams wants the job. He is a Texas native, played college basketball in Texas and spent time as an assistant coach under Billy Gillispie for three seasons. Several have reported he will accept the job, it just has not become official yet as he was still coaching Virginia Tech.
Williams has guided the Hokies to the tournament for three consecutive seasons after going through a rebuild in year one. Prior to that, he led Marquette to the tournament in five of six seasons as the head coach. He would be a fantastic hire for the Aggies should it come to fruition.
Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.