Texas A&M set to hire Samford's Bucky McMillan as head basketball coach

According to reports from TexAgs’ co-owner and executive editor Billy Liucci as well as ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello, Bucky McMillan is set to be hired as the next head men’s basketball coach at Texas A&M.

McMillan, 41, comes to Aggieland after spending the last five seasons at Samford University. While in Homewood, McMillan’s Bulldogs captured three Southern Conference championships — both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 regular-season crowns as well as the 2024 tournament title — and participated in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

An official announcement from Texas A&M is expected shortly.

With 17 years of head coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels, McMillan takes over a Texas A&M program following Buzz Williams’ departure for the University of Maryland. In 2024-25, the Aggies were 23-11 overall and 11-7 in the SEC, and the Maroon & White were eliminated in the Round of 32.

A&M has not been to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since Billy Kennedy took the Aggies to the Sweet 16 in 2018. Never have the Maroon & White been to the Elite Eight and beyond.

Born in Birmingham, McMillan played college hoops at Birmingham-Southern College from 2002 until 2006 and graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in education services.

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Bucky McMillan’s Samford Bulldogs were 22-11 and 12-6 in the SoCon in 2024-25. They were eliminated in the first round of the 2025 NIT by George Mason.

McMillan began his coaching career at Alabama’s Mountain Brook High School — his alma mater — as an assistant in 2006, leading the junior varsity for two seasons until he was promoted to head coach in 2008. During his time at Mountain Brook, the Spartans won three 7A basketball championships and two 6A titles. He was named the Boy’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association in 2018 — becoming the first Alabama coach to win the honor — after Mountain Brook went 34-3.

Samford hired McMillan on April 6, 2020. After having eight games canceled due to COVID-19 precautions during the 2020-21 campaign, “Bucky Ball” helped the Bulldogs rebounded to a 21-11 mark the following season.

In 2022-23, Samford claimed its first conference title since 1999 as the Bulldogs went 21-11 overall and 15-3 in the league. McMillan & Co. followed up with a 29-6 campaign and another 15-3 SoCon record in 2023-24, winning the league’s tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in school history. The No. 13 seed Bulldogs were eventually eliminated by No. 4 seed Kansas in the first round, 93-89.

Across his five-season tenure at Samford, the Bulldogs were 99-52 (.656) and 54-29 (.651) in the Southern Conference, and McMillan is a three-time SoCon Coach of the Year honoree (2022-24).

Additionally, “Bucky Ball” refers to McMillan’s uptempo, aggressive style of play.

McMillan is set to become the 23rd head coach in program history.