Maryland fired longtime head coach Mike Locksley on Wednesday after a 2-5 start to the 2026 season, the school announced Wednesday. The Terrapins lost 37-30 to Rutgers in their homecoming game Saturday at SECU Stadium.
“After thoughtful conversations with Coach Locksley, we have agreed that a coaching change is in the best interest of Coach Locksley and the Maryland football program,” Maryland athletic director Jim Smith said in a statement.
Maryland will immediately begin searching for a replacement for Locksley. “President Darryll J. Pines and I are fully aligned in our commitment to providing the investment, infrastructure and resources necessary for Maryland Football to succeed,” Smith said.
Locksley, who arrived at Maryland in December 2018, was 39-54 over seven-plus seasons as head coach of the Terrapins. The highlight of the Locksley era in College Park occurred from 2021 to 2023, when Maryland won at least 7 games and reached a bowl game in 3 consecutive seasons. A Music City Bowl victory over Auburn to finish the 2023 season with an 8-5 record foreshadowed a bright future.
Instead, Maryland went 4-8 in 2024 and 2025 as the program fell on the Big Ten totem pole. The school and its major supporters have increased their financial support for Locksley’s program ahead of a critical 2026 season. Locksley brought in new offensive coordinator Clint Trickett, added top-five recruit Zion Elee and retained rising quarterback Malik Washington. Maryland was no longer among the lowest spending football teams in the Big Ten. The schedule seemed manageable enough for Maryland fans to hope for seven wins or more.
It didn’t go as hoped, as the Terps lost their home games to Virginia Tech, UCLA and Rutgers. The 54-3 loss to first-year coach Bob Chesney’s UCLA Bruins was particularly embarrassing and all but decided Locksley’s fate. Locksley hadn’t won over a Power Four opponent in over a year and was 2-20 in the Big Ten since 2024.
Maryland will owe Locksley more than $9 million in buyout money. He made $6.4 million this season.
Maryland is the first Power Four program to fire its head coach this season. A year after a wild coaching carousel in which Penn State, Florida and Virginia Tech all fired their coaches in mid-October, Maryland finally broke the seal and began this season’s cycle.
Newly promoted defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will take over as interim coach, sources told CBS Sports. His first game as interim head coach will be Oct. 31 against Illinois in College Park.
Maryland coaching candidates: Jake Dickert, Billy Napier among options to replace Mike Locksley
John Talty
The future of the program
Who Maryland turns to next to guide the program will be fascinating.
Locksley, a Washington, D.C. native, made perfect sense when Maryland hired him away from Alabama after a stint as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator. He had deep ties to the region and a strong reputation for recruiting. He had just won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant and legitimately considered Maryland a dream job.
He faced an uphill battle with limited resources, especially in the early days of NIL. Maryland had to do more with less, something Locksley was successful at before collapsing in 2024. Locksley’s deep recruiting ties could still lead to one or two big commitments, but cash quickly became king.
Now, Maryland is devoting more resources to its football program. It’s not on the level of Ohio State or Michigan, but it’s not in the basement of the Big Ten either. At least not when it comes to spending on football teams. That should be attractive to any potential next coach, although Maryland will have to sell the program’s untapped potential rather than its reputation as a tough place to win.
With high school recruiting less prominent in the NIL world, Maryland could target an experienced program builder. Would Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert have interest? Maybe New Mexico’s Jason Eck or UNLV’s Dan Mullen would jump at a Power Four head coaching opportunity?
Maryland is the only Power Four job currently available, giving it an early advantage.
Can the new coach keep the list?
One of the big questions moving forward is how much of Maryland’s roster will remain without Locksley at the helm.
You might think this isn’t a major concern for a team of 2-5 players, but there is some real talent on the team. The conversation begins with quarterback Malik Washington, who regressed in 2026 but showed flashes of brilliance as a true freshman when he threw for 2,963 yards. Whoever succeeds Locksley will have to decide whether to keep Washington and the plan to get it back on track. The ceiling is still incredibly high for Washington.
There is also real talent in defense. From Sidney Stewart to Daniel Wingate to Zahir Mathis, who suffered a season-ending injury before the year but was expected to do big things. Maryland spent the offseason holding on to its roster, but it hasn’t paid off in the win column in 2026. There is a talented core to work with, but how well it will stick around with the new coaching staff remains to be seen.
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