Beginning next season, college athletics programs can spend as much as $20 million on revenue sharing, also known as paying the players. No one at Maryland has stated publicly how they plan to split that money among the program’s many teams, but there’s no question football will get the majority of the de facto salary pool, because the sport costs so much to operate and generates most of the money
But at Maryland, basketball is more important than it is at a many football-obsessed peer schools. So how much of that $20 pool million will Kevin Willard get to spend on players next year?
On his radio show this week, he revealed an estimated payroll range while talking about how fast the sports has transitioned to pay-for-play. Not long ago, several head coaches lost their jobs and then-Arizona assistant coach Book Richardson spent three months in prison for bribery after being caught talking about paying players.
“I’ll say this, an assistant coach from Arizona got arrested and put in jail for talking about money [a few years ago], and now all of a sudden, we’re going to be spending $4 million, $5 million per year on a basketball roster. It’s changed so dramatically, from calls with agents — if you talked to an agent [a few years ago], you would be suspended by the NCAA. Now, half my day is talking to agents and their clients, and what they want, what they’re looking for,” Willard said.
It’s hard to say where that budget would land Maryland nationally. It’s not an elite-level budget like, say, at Kansas or Duke. But it’s more than this year, when Maryland spent around $3 million according to program sources.
“The coach today, it’s more than just a coach. You’re spending an enormous amount of time looking at next year’s possibilities of getting guys here in the portal and making sure everybody’s happy this year,” he said. “It’s changed dramatically in two years, if you look at what we’re doing and what we’re going to start spending on [players].”
With Julian Reese and Selton Miguel running out of eligibility and Derik Queen likely leaving for the NBA, plenty of money will come off the books for Willard to spend on transfers. Queen and Reese alone are making more than $1 million this season combined. Willard aced the portal last offseason with a group of signings 247Sports’ Isaac Trotter ranked among college basketball’s best transfer classes last week. That’s become the most important part of the job.
“You have to be an NBA general manager. You have to look at what you want to do, how you want to play, who you want to bring back, who you want to pay, how much you can pay, how much you have on your salary. And at the same time, you got to be the main fundraiser and go out and raise all that money. So it has changed dramatically and it’s a different world.”
More below from Willard on paying players, the reason for his “softer” nonconference schedule and fans in New York and New Jersey.
Kevin Willard, head coach of the Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball team, recently sat down for an exclusive interview to discuss a variety of topics surrounding the program. One of the most intriguing revelations came when Willard shared details about Maryland’s budget for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals for student-athletes.
“Maryland has allocated a significant budget for NIL opportunities for our players,” Willard said. “We want to support our student-athletes in maximizing their potential both on and off the court, and we see NIL as a great way to do that.”
In addition to discussing NIL, Willard also addressed the team’s early season schedule, which has been criticized by some for being “softer” than in previous years.
“We intentionally scheduled some non-conference games against teams that may not be as high-profile, in order to give our players a chance to gain confidence and gel as a team before heading into conference play,” Willard explained. “It’s all part of our strategic plan to set ourselves up for success in the long run.”
Lastly, Willard spoke about the passionate Maryland fans in the New York and New Jersey area, who have shown unwavering support for the Terrapins despite being located far from College Park.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of our fans in New York and New Jersey,” Willard said. “Their dedication to the program is truly inspiring, and we always feel their presence whether we’re playing at home or on the road. We hope to continue to make them proud with our performance on the court.”
Overall, Kevin Willard’s insights provided valuable insight into the inner workings of the Maryland basketball program, and fans can look forward to an exciting season ahead.
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