Billy Kennedy is out at Texas A&M after eight seasons

According to Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle, Billy Kennedy is out as the head coach at Texas A&M. Kennedy has been with the program since 2011, leading the Aggies to the Sweet Sixteen in both 2016 and 2018 but finishing this season 13-17 (6-12 SEC). The news comes on the eve of Texas A&M’s opening round SEC Tournament match-up with last-place Vanderbilt.

Outside of the two Sweet Sixteen years, Kennedy’s tenure in College Station has been rather mediocre but this year’s 11th place finish was the worst thus far. Kennedy built towards success in previous head coaching stops at Southeastern Louisiana and Murray State, but sustained success at A&M has been difficult.

The next Aggies coach will inherit a roster that should include five of the top six scorers from this year and a four-man recruiting class currently ranked 25th best in the country (and 6th best in the SEC) by 247Sports.

As far as who that coach is, the name that will surface the most is Virginia Tech head coach Buzz Williams, a native of Greenville, Texas who spent much of his early career coaching in the state and worked as an assistant at A&M from 2004-06.

Outside of Williams, who should be the top target, the Aggies may consider an in-state head coach like North Texas‘ Grant McCasland or Stephen F. Austin‘s Kyle Keller (also a former A&M assistant). Current Miami (FL) assistant and one-time Tulsa head coach Pooh Williamson could be in play, as well, hailing from Oklahoma and spending four years at A&M under Mark Turgeon.

h/t to Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for the photo