Is Buzz Williams Getting a Call from Texas A&M Soon?

Virginia Tech men’s basketball is rounding into form at the right time of year. As winners of five of their last seven games without point guard Justin Robinson, the Hokies appear to have found their groove entering the most crucial stretch of the season.

As a top 20 team entering the ACC Tournament (#16 in the AP and #15 in the Coaches Poll), the Hokies have enjoyed a successful stretch of basketball over the last month. With Robinson out of the lineup due to a foot injury, Tech has reinvented itself on both ends of the floor due to masterful adjustments from head coach Buzz Williams.

His decision to run more offensive sets through forward Kerry Blackshear, as well as tighten the screws to become more aggressive on the defensive end of the floor, earned the Hokies a #5 seed in the conference tournament and earned himself a second-place finish in ACC Coach of the Year voting.

And now, the outstanding job that he has done with Virginia Tech in the 2018-19 season may earn him much, much more.

On Tuesday evening, the Houston Chronicle reported that Texas A&M will move on from head coach Billy Kennedy at the conclusion of the basketball season. The same report stated that the Aggies’ top target is none other than Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams.

For those familiar with Williams’ background, this report makes sense and does not come as that big of a surprise. Williams is a native Texan, was an assistant at A&M from 2004-2006 under Billy Gillispie, and one of his top assistants at Virginia Tech, Jeff Reynolds, is in his first year on the staff at Texas A&M under lame duck coach Billy Kennedy.

In addition, the athletic department in College Station will have plenty of money to spend on their next head coach, and could give Buzz Williams a substantial raise from what he is earning at Virginia Tech.

Look no further than the 10-year, $75 million deal that Texas A&M athletic director Scott Woodward doled out to head football coach Jimbo Fisher in late 2017 as proof. Woodward will stop at nothing to get his guy to run a program, and has the full financial support of the athletic department and school boosters to make the hire that is best for the university.

When reached on Tuesday evening, a source within the Virginia Tech athletic department stated that while there has not yet been a formal request from Texas A&M to interview Buzz Williams, one is expected “in the coming days.” If an interview does occur between Williams and Texas A&M, it likely would not take place until the Hokies conclude their season.

There are many connections between Buzz Williams and Texas A&M, so a reunion with him would make sense if he was interested. While it is too early to tell if there is mutual interest in a return for Williams in College Station, it is clear that the job Williams has done at Virginia Tech has earned him the attention, and potential opportunity, if he wants to move on from Blacksburg.