Maryland’s ugly 54-3 loss to UCLA may have pushed Mike Locksley to the edge.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the situation in College Park has reached the point where it is "when, not if" Maryland parts ways with its head coach. Nakos reported Sunday that the Terrapins could make a move as soon as this weekend, though he also noted that such an early firing, just four games into the season, still "appears unlikely but isn’t out of the question, sources said."
The numbers around Locksley’s tenure are hard to ignore. Maryland is 39-51 under him and 17-49 in Big Ten play. He did steady the program from 2021 to 2023 with three straight winning seasons and bowl victories, but the last two seasons have gone in the wrong direction.
The schedule ahead only adds more pressure. Maryland travels to Nebraska next week, then goes to Ohio State on Oct. 10 before hosting Rutgers on Oct.
- The Terrapins’ bye week comes on Oct. 24, which Nakos identified as a possible point for an in-season change if the school decides to move on and install an interim coach.
There’s also the financial side of the decision. USA Today reported that Locksley is still owed more than $20 million on a contract that runs through the 2028 season.
His salary is set at $6.4 million now, rises to $6.7 million in 2027 and reaches $7 million in 2028. If Maryland fires him before Dec. 31, the buyout would be $9.2 million, per USA Today.
Maryland isn’t the only program watching a coach’s seat get hotter. Nakos reported that South Carolina is also weighing Shane Beamer’s future after a 49-18 loss to Alabama, with the pressure mounting there as well.
Florida State’s Mike Norvell is another name to keep an eye on, with the Seminoles in danger of a 2-6 start in a worst-case scenario. Their next four games are against Virginia, Louisville, Miami and Clemson, and Nakos noted it is not out of the question that Florida State could lose all four.
For now, though, the strongest sense around the sport is that Maryland may be the first big program to make a move.
In Other News...
Mike Locksley Is Suddenly In A Conversation Maryland Fans Dread
A rough stretch can turn the volume up fast in college football, and Mike Locksley is finding himself in the kind of conversation Maryland fans never want to hear in September. The Terrapins are part of a wider wave of coaches feeling the heat after recent losses, with the spotlight now shifting from Sunday recovery mode to bigger questions about where the program is headed and how much patience remains around the job.
Locksley is not alone in that pressure cooker, with names like Shane Beamer, Mike Norvell and Deion Sanders also getting dragged into the same uncomfortable discussion. What makes it especially tricky is that the stakes are not just about on-field results, since buyout numbers and school budgets can shape how these situations unfold long before anybody reaches the point of a change. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Just Hit A Point Fans Cant Ignore Under Locksley
Marylands Big Ten opener at SECU Stadium turned into the kind of afternoon fans cannot just shrug off. The Terps were routed by UCLA, 54-3, and the lopsided result came with all the problems on display at once, from a sputtering offense to a defense that had no answer once the game started to tilt.
Malik Washingtons rough day only deepened the frustration, with four interceptions, including two pick-sixes, underscoring how quickly things unraveled. Mike Locksley did acknowledge the performance afterward and voiced confidence in his staff to get the program moving in the right direction, but after a loss this severe, Maryland is left facing bigger questions than just one bad Saturday. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Football Has A New Contender In The MIAA Race
Concordia Preps first appearance in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference Top 25 came with some real weight behind it, as the No. 20 Eagles moved into the rankings after knocking off then-No. 17 Mount Saint Joseph, 13-7. It is another reminder of how crowded the top end of Maryland high school football can be, especially with Saint Frances Academy still sitting atop the national pecking order and the states usual powers clustered just behind it.
For Maryland fans keeping tabs on the broader football landscape, the bigger question is whether Concordia Prep can stay in that conversation once the schedule stiffens again. The next stretch offers a clear test, with Concordia heading to Archbishop Spalding and Calvert Hall traveling to McDonogh, two matchups that should do plenty to sort out where the new arrival fits among the conferences established names. [Read more 🡒]