Saying the job was "too good to pass on," Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mark Turgeon has, as was rumored all day, left A&M to take over the head coaching job for the Maryland Terrapins.
Turgeon arrived at Reed Arena late tonight and passed on word to his players, who are understandably mad that they've been blindsided. The Maryland job is regarded as one of the best jobs in the NCAA due to it's proximity to recruiting hotbeds and it's stature in the ACC. Longtime Terrapins coach Gary Williams retired last week, and the Terrapins first choice, Arizona's Sean Miller, declined the opening.
Turgeon's exit will leave A&M in the same position that Maryland was in: a solid core of talent in place, a high profile job in the Big 12, and now all they need is someone to coach it. Early speculation from both Brent Zwerneman and Andy Katz has the Aggies targeting Marquette's Buzz Williams, a former A&M assistant, to coach the team. Look for a more fleshed out list of candidates tomorrow.
EDIT: Video of Turgeon's brief meeting with the A&M reporters is below: