Grading rosters of first-year coaches: Texas' Sean Miller, Maryland's Buzz Williams, others build teams

Gone are the days of long runways for first-year coaches to build programs through high school recruiting and good, old-fashioned internal culture and development. In college basketball's modern era, it's all about "what can you do for me immediately?"

Louisville and Michigan are three perfect examples from the 2024-25 season of how quickly things can turn under new leadership. The Wolverines went from 8-24 to 27-10 and reached the Sweet 16 in coach Dusty May's first season. Louisville went from 8-24 to 27-8 with an 18-2 ACC record in Pat Kelsey's debut campaign.

Things weren't so perfect for every first-year coach at a high-major program, of course. DePaul, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, SMU, Stanford, USC, Washington and West Virginia each missed the big Dance under first-year leaders.

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But others, including BYU, Kentucky and Vanderbilt saw significant immediate dividends on the backs of hastily assembled rosters. So how can we expect programs with new coaches to fare in 2025-26? As the dust begins to settle on college basketball's 2025 player movement cycle, here's the grading breakdown of how each high-major program with a new coach has fared.

Florida State, Luke Loucks

Given the reportedly low-end budget that ex-Florida State player and NBA assistant Loucks had to work with for his first roster, he's done a nice job of assembling a veteran group that checks a lot of boxes. Five of the seven committed transfers shot 36.5% or better from 3-point range on at least 3.4 attempts per game at their last stop, and the other two are quality rim protectors.

It's a crop highlighted by the elite 43.9% perimeter marksmanship of Drexel transfer Kobe MaGee The group features a couple of decent on-ball facilitators in Robert McCray V (Jacksonville) and Martin Somerville (UMass Lowell). Lajae Jones (St. Bonaventure) and Chauncey Wiggins (Clemson) bring good size and experience on the wing. Throw in a couple of freshmen and a couple of returners from Leonard Hamilton's final squad and you've got a group that should be plucky under a 35-year old coach who will be learning on the job. Grade: B

Indiana, Darian DeVries

The only transfer on Indiana's first roster under DeVries coming from a high-major school is his son, Tucker, who played a total of eight games at West Virginia last season. IU is leaning hard into high-volume, mid-major 3-point shooters, such as Sam Houston's Lamar Wilkerson (44.5% on 7.7 attempts last season) and Elon's Nick Dorn (35.1% on 8.4 attempts last season). DeVries' last two teams at Drake ranked in the top-40 nationally in 3-point shooting percentage, and the 2025-26 Hoosiers could flirt with that territory as well.

The jury is out on whether this roster has the athleticism and rim protection required to be competent defensively. But if nothing else, IU fans will probably appreciate a team that can shoot it from the outside after the program's utter lack of perimeter marksmanship under Mike Woodson. Grade: B

Iowa, Ben McCollum

McCollum is bringing five rotation players with him from a 31-4 Drake team that beat Missouri in the NCAA Tournament. None is more significant than Bennett Stirtz, the Missouri Valley Player of the Year who averaged 19.2 points and 5.7 assists for the Bulldogs.

Horizon League Player of the Year Alvaro Folgueiras from Robert Morris will bring some toughness to the frontcourt and stretch the floor. Brendan Hausen is a 3-point gunner (38.8% on seven attempts per game) from Kansas State. But this roster all centers around Stirtz, who will be in his third season (and third different uniform) playing under McCollum. He closed the cycle as the nation's No. 3 ranked transfer and will be appearing on preseason All-American lists. Grade: A-

Maryland, Buzz Williams

Board-crashing veteran wing Solomon Washington and paint scorer Pharrel Payne are following Williams from Texas A&M to Maryland to help instill some of the hard-nosed culture that helped the Aggies reach three straight NCAA Tournaments. Payne closed last season with outbursts of 25 and 26 points in the NCAA Tournament and could be one of the Big Ten's premier post players if the Terps lean into his strengths.

The headline guard addition is one-time Pac-12 Rookie of the Year Myles Rice, who will be on his third school in three years after stops at Washington State and Indiana. He's not the world's most efficient player, but he and ex-Kanas guard David Coit are the type of aggressive, on-ball players who will ensure the Terrapins don't go totally point-starved. If you're looking for an All-American on this roster, you're not going to find one. But there is some power conference experience and enough size/athleticism to give Williams a chance to dance. Grade: B+

Miami, Jai Lucas

Miami's first roster under Lucas is light on proven depth but features a couple of top-60 transfers in Tre Donaldson and Malik Reneau. Donaldson is a battle-tested point guard with prior stops at Auburn and Michigan, while Reneau is a former top-40 prospect who shot better than 55% from the floor as one of Indiana's top offensive weapons.

There was speculation that Lucas, a former Duke assistant, might poach Duke signees and Miami natives Cameron and Cayden Boozer. Though that didn't transpire, he did land ex-Duke commitment Shelton Henderson. The 6-6 small forward is ranked a 5-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite and will help immediately. The question is how ready the rest of Miami's freshman class might be. Among them are Slovakian wing Timotej Malovec and Turkish center Salih Altuntas, the former of whom is already 21. Grade: C+

Minnesota, Niko Medved

Minnesota's Year 1 success under Medved will hinge, in part, on how a couple of 3-point shooting forwards translate. Davidson transfer Bobby Durkin ranked sixth in the Atlantic 10 last season in 3-point attempts per game at 7.8 and hit 35.5% of them. Fellow 6-foot-7 forward Cade Tyson (formerly of North Carolina and Belmont) is also on the roster in search of a fresh start after a rough one-year stint with the Tar Heels.

The primary ball-handlers on this team will likely be returning sophomore Isaac Asuma, Northern Colorado transfer Langston Reynolds and Western Michigan transfer Chansey Willis Jr. Reynolds and Willis were mid-major bucket-getters but are not known as particularly great outside shooters. Thus, Durkin and Tyson will need to knock down their open looks. Grade: C+

NC State, Will Wade

To no one's surprise, Wade immediately assembled a roster that will make NC State competitive in the ACC and capable of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Point guard Tre Holloman brings 106 games of experience from Michigan State, while wing Terrance Arceneaux (Houston) and forward Darrion Williams (Texas Tech) are fresh off playing significant roles for teams that made deep NCAA Tournament runs.

In fact, Williams was one of the breakout stars of the Big Dance and finished this portal cycle as the No. 5 overall transfer. Alyn Breed and Quadir Copeland played for Wade at McNeese, and Jerry Deng is a versatile forward with a season of ACC experience at Florida State. Rim protection is a potential area of concern. But if 20-year old Congolese freshman Paul Mbiya translates quickly, that worry could be alleviated. Grade: A

Texas, Sean Miller

Continuity? After a coaching change? Texas is an anomaly in that three guards who averaged 20+ minutes per game under Rodney Terry last season are returning to play for Miller. Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark each averaged double-figures last season, while Chendall Weaver entrenched himself as a relentless defender and glue guy.

Miller didn't necessarily add a ton of firepower to the group. But he did bring in some heft, particularly with 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis from FAU. The Lithuanian center hit 67.7% of his attempts for the Owls as a freshman and has plenty of runway left to develop into a game-changing force. Simeon Wilcher (St. John's) and Camden Heide (Purdue) are also quality additions that Miller will rely on for offensive contributions. Grade: B+

Texas A&M, Bucky McMillan

How would McMillan fare recruiting at a big-boy job after arriving from Samford with exactly zero high-major experience of any sort on his resume? The answer, as it turns out, is just fine. The Aggies have assembled a competitive roster highlighted by three top-80 transfers and plenty of outside shooting. Pop Isaacs (Creighton/Texas Tech) and Jacari Lane (North Alabama) are serious bucket-getters in the backcourt, while Rylan Griffen (Kansas/Alabama) and Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana) can pop it from the wing.

The question will be whether the roster is deep enough for McMillan to employ the breakneck pace and deep rotation that defines "Buckyball." But his first wave is certainly not hurting for SEC-caliber talent, and the early June addition of 22-year old Spanish shooter Ruben Dominguez helps alleviate that concern. Grade: A-

Utah, Alex Jensen

It's obvious that Jensen, a longtime NBA assistant and former Utah star, doesn't have the same NIL warchest as crosstown rival Kevin Young at BYU. Nonetheless, he assembled a logical — though perhaps not overwhelmingly talented — first roster. The incoming backcourt duo of Don McHenry (Western Kentucky) and Terrence Brown (FDU) averaged a combined 37.6 points at their previous stops. Both are slender and inefficient from 3-point range, but they will bring some immediate pop.

The most-intriguing pieces of this roster are off-ball perimeter transfers Elijah Moore (Syracuse) and Jakhi Howard (Auburn). Both are former top-65 players from the Class of 2024 who had to fight for playing time at their old schools as true freshmen. With three seasons of eligibility remaining, both will have a chance to blossom at Utah. Grade: C

Villanova, Kevin Willard

Part of Villanova's viability in Year 1 under former Maryland coach Willard may depend on the readiness of top-75 freshman guards Acaden Lewis and Chris Jeffrey. The portal haul, while large, features just one top-200 transfer. That player is seven-footer Duke Brennan, who racked up 10 double-doubles last season at Grand Canyon. He's great at lurking and making himself available at the rim when teammates collapse the defense.

Bryce Lindsay is a proven 3-point shooter from James Madison, while guard Devin Askew is a well-traveled veteran who will be on his fifth school after putting up big numbers at Long Beach State last season. Zion Stanford (Temple) and Tyler Perkins (returner) ensure there will be no shortage of perimeter options. It's just unclear which of them may develop into the sort of alpha that can help the Wildcats quickly flush the frustration of three straight missed NCAA Tournaments. Grade: C

Virginia, Ryan Odom

If nothing else, Virginia's 3-point shooting in Year 1 under Ryan Odom should be solid. Jacari White (North Dakota State), Malik Thomas (San Francisco), Devin Willis (UC Irvine) and Sam Lewis (Toledo) each shot better than 39% from deep on at least 3.3 attempts per game last season. Protecting the rim shouldn't be an issue, either. Ex-Kansas State and Kentucky big man Ugonna Onyenso and German freshman Johann Grunloh will bring ample height to the front line.

Is Virginia immediately ready to compete for an ACC title? Probably not. But there's enough here for Odom to get the Cavaliers turned back in the right direction. Grade: B

West Virginia, Ross Hodge

Former North Texas coach Ross Hodge brought two of his top-three scorers with him from the AAC, as point guard Jasper Floyd and versatile big man Brenen Lorient make the trek to Morgantown after helping the Mean Green reach the NIT semifinals.

But the highest-rated transfer in WVU's haul is former North Dakota scoring whiz Treysen Eaglestaff. The 6-foot-6 wing scored 40 in a close loss to Alabama and dropped 51 in a Summit League tournament game. He gets buckets from anywhere and everywhere, and his transition to a premier conference will determine the Mountaineers' Year 1 ceiling under Hodge. The Big 12 viability of undersized flamethrower Honor Huff (Chattanooga) will also be a swing factor. Grade: B-