Texas A&M Battling Buzz Williams, Maryland for 4-Star Forward

When coach Bucky McMillan arrived in Aggieland, he had a tall task ahead of him. He had to assemble a roster completely by scratch after nearly all of Texas A&M’s 2024-25 team either graduated or transferred out of the program.

McMillan assembled a squad that arguably has more talent on it than the last team in the Buzz Williams era, strictly through the transfer portal. Now, he is setting his sights on high school talent.

Four-star wing Trent Perry has scheduled an official visit with Texas A&M, per On3’s Joe Tipton. Strangely enough, Williams and the new-look Maryland Terrapins have also secured an official visit with the Link Academy product. On top of Texas A&M and Maryland, Perry is also set to visit Penn State, Sacramento State, Oklahoma State and TCU.

Coach Bucky McMillan’s Recruiting Ability at Texas A&M

One slight many A&M fans had against Williams was his seeming inability to recruit high school talent. Aside from former four-star Manny Obaseki, Williams did not really bring in many highly-rated high school talents. He built his squads through the transfer portal, adding guys like Pharrel Payne and Andersson Garcia.

Williams initially offered Perry when he was coaching at A&M, and McMillan has continued to nurture A&M’s relationship with the guard.

Unlike Williams, McMillan is used to assembling squads full of high school talent. He was not pulling in many blue-chip transfers at Samford, so he had to rely on the young guns and learned how to appeal to them. Now at A&M, McMillan can leverage the appeal of the university and the culture as well as his personal charm and unique coaching style.

McMillan had to rely on the transfer portal early in his career and has built quite the squad out of seemingly thin air. Pop Isaacs, Jacari Lane provide a solid force in the backcourt, and Rylan Griffen  and Mackenzie Mgbako provide wing support, facets crucial to executing McMillan’s “Bucky Ball” playstyle.

In 2025, Perry helped lead the Link Academy Lions to a 23-8 record and a Nike EYBL Scholastic championship. Link Academy is also home to Andre Igoudala II, son of Golden State Warriors star Andre Igoudala, and is filled with talent from the top of the roster to the bottom.

The Aggies are set to face a tough road schedule in coach McMillan’s first year as head coach. Their road contests against Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee will prove just how well of a job McMillan did in the portal.