The first four players of the Buzz Williams era are officially signed as announced Thursday. The quartet are all players who have transferred from Texas A&M to join Williams at Maryland: Pharrel Payne, Solomon Washington, Andre Mills, and George Turkson, Jr.
Payne and Washington will be rising seniors for the 2025-26 campaign, while Mills and Turkson each redshirted their true freshman seasons last year.
Payne, a 6-foot-9 forward, comes to Maryland having played in 96 career games averaging 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds. The Cottage Grove, MN, native is a career 64.1 percent shooter overall and has 919 career points, 523 rebounds, 112 blocked shots between two years at Minnesota and last year at Texas A&M. In 2024-25 with the Aggies, Payne helped Texas A&M reach its third straight NCAA Tournament as he ranked third on the team in scoring (10.4 points per game) as one of three players to average double figures. He was also third on the squad at 5.1 rebounds per game, while leading A&M in shooting percentage at 64.6 percent (128-of-198). In the NCAA Tournament, Payne averaged 25.5 points (including a career-high 26 points versus Michigan), while collecting 7.5 rebounds. He was a combined 20-of-25 from the floor in those two games.
“Ngochi (Payne’s nickname, pronounced Go-chee) is as good of a person as I have coached in my career. That he chose to follow us to Maryland is humbling and speaks to his loyalty,” said Williams. “As excited as I am for Terp Nation to see the type of player he is, and the impact he will have for our team on the court, I am equally excited to see the impact he has on the college park community!”
Washington, a 6-foot-7 forward, played all three prior seasons for Williams at Texas A&M. The New Orleans, LA, native has played in 97 career games (47 starts) averaging 5.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Last year, he averaged 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds. Overall in his career, he has 498 career points, 446 total rebounds, 92 blocked shots, 68 steals, and 63 assists through three seasons. Washington has five double-figure scoring games including a season-high 17 points last year against Georgia.
“Solo brings a rare type of athleticism to our roster that’s value can be really hard to measure on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball,” said Williams. “But his most effective gift is his intelligence, and his ability to marry those two traits have become a large component of his game on the floor. His energy and effort will quickly make him a fan favorite in the XFINITY Center!”
Mills, a native of Boston, MA, earned All-NEPSAC honors in 2022-23 after averaging 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists as a junior. The 6-foot-4 guard was a four-star prospect ranked No. 96 nationally and No. 21 among shooting guards by 247sports.com. He competed for the Mass Rivals AAU program on the 3SSB Adidas Circuit.
“I am very excited for Dre’s growth and development to finally be on display for Terp Nation to see as his college career begins,” said Williams. “He was very intentional during his redshirt year, in focusing his energy on things that impact his trajectory as a person and a player in a positive manner. He will be a valuable part of this year’s team and beyond!”
Turkson also redshirted last season after being a consensus National Top 100 prospect out of Bradford Christian Academy. The Lowell, MA, native was also an All-NEPSAC honoree after averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds as a junior in 2022-23. The 6-foot-7 forward was a four-star prospect ranked No. 91 nationally and No. 18 among power forwards by 247sports.com and was a four-star prospect ranked No. 90 in the ESPN100. Overall, he was nationally rated as the No. 16 power forward in the nation as was graded as a four-star recruit by both Rivals.com and On3.com. He also competed for the Mass Rivals AAU program on the 3SSB Adidas Circuit.
“George brings a level of tenacity, hustle, and grit that make him very easy to cheer for. His ability to do the little things and play hard every possession will be an asset for this team,” said Williams. “He handled his redshirt year with elite accountability and has a bright future. I am grateful he is here and excited for his growth to continue in College Park!”
The group represents the first four players announced for the 2025-26 team with additional signees to be announced in the near future.
Maryland is coming off a 27-9 campaign in 2024-25 which saw the Terps reach the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2016. In Big Ten play, Maryland finished second in the final standings with a 14-6 league record and reached the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2016.
(Release via Maryland)
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