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Maryland Fires Mike Locksley After 12-Game Big Ten Losing Streak
· Confirmed
In Short: Locksley’s firing comes after a series of losses, including a 37-30 defeat to Rutgers, which extended the program’s losing streak against Power 4 competition to 13 games.
Maryland officially announced the departure of head coach Mike Locksley on Wednesday, citing a mutual agreement between the coach and the university.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Maryland will owe Locksley a $9.75 million buyout with no offset language or mitigation, meaning the entire buyout must be paid even if he finds another job.
Maryland’s defense has struggled significantly, giving up 219 points during its current five-game losing streak and ranking 133rd nationally in points allowed (33.3 per game) and 83rd in yards allowed.
In the losses to Virginia Tech, UCLA, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Rutgers, the Terps allowed an average of 43.8 points per game and fell by an average margin of 24.6 points per contest.
Maryland’s athletic director Jim Smith said in a statement, “Following thoughtful conversations with Coach Locksley, we agreed that a coaching change was in the best interest of Coach Locksley and the Maryland football program.”
Locksley’s tenure at Maryland included three-straight winning seasons from 2021 to 2023, culminating in three consecutive bowl wins.
However, the team’s performance this season, with a 2-5 record and 0-4 in Big Ten play, made his dismissal inevitable.
Locksley was hired in December 2018 after the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair from heatstroke earlier in the year, which led to the firing of head coach D.J.
Locksley’s career record sits at 41-80, dating back to his time leading New Mexico for three seasons before joining Maryland as an offensive coordinator in 2015.
Despite his efforts to turn the program around, Locksley’s team has lost 20 of its last 22 Big Ten games, with the last 12 losses coming consecutively.
Locksley expressed his appreciation for the university, saying, “I appreciate Ted's hard work and dedication to our program during his time in College Park. As I evaluate our program, I believe this change is necessary. We wish Ted all the best moving forward.”
What's confirmed
- Mike Locksley fired his defensive coordinator after the fact.
What's still developing
- On Saturday, Maryland entered as a slight home favorite.
- The Terrapins went 1-8 in Big Ten play in each of the past two seasons before an 0-4 start in conference play this year, and are 1-18 in games played after the month of September since 2024.
- Locksley’s exit comes after a stretch of five straight losses that included a 45-16 loss to Ohio State two weeks ago.
- The defeat, which took place in front of a sparse home crowd and marked the 20th loss in the program's last 22 Big Ten games, ultimately sealed Locksley's fate.
- Locksley was brought on in an interim basis in 2015 after spending three seasons but was then out of the program until 2019.
- Locksley's first head-coaching gig came with New Mexico in 2009, where he spent three seasons and went 2-26.
- Locksley initially turned the program around, as he went 3-9 in his first full season and then went over.500 in each season from 2021 to 2023.
- However, only being able to earn 10 combined wins in the 31 games since going 8-5 in 2023 made his dismissal inevitable, arguably multiple years too late.
- More news: Exclusive: Breakout NFL Executives Who Could Become Future General Managers More news: 4 QBs Generating Serious Trade Buzz Weeks Before NFL Regular Season Starts Locksley felt UM needed to make the change after evaluating issues with the 2-5 program.