Maryland will head into its Nov. 28 meeting with Penn State without Mike Locksley on the sideline.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported late Friday morning that Maryland had fired Locksley during his eighth season. The Terps were 39-54 overall under Locksley, and a 2-5 start this year left the move looking inevitable.
Locksley faced Penn State every year from 2019 through 2024 and went 1-5 in those games. His final matchup against the Nittany Lions was also the one that stuck with him most.
In a lopsided 44-7 Penn State win at Beaver Stadium, Locksley objected to James Franklin’s decision to chase one more touchdown in the closing seconds. The two coaches exchanged words at midfield, then backed up their positions in their postgame comments. Locksley’s last trip against Franklin came one more game later, when Maryland lost to Virginia Tech in College Park last month.
Now Maryland has made the same kind of coaching change Penn State made last October.
The Terps will turn to defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim as interim coach, Thamel reported.
Midseason firings have become familiar across college football, even if they have been less common this year. At this point last season, seven coaches had already been dismissed, including Franklin and former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry.
Penn State’s first-year coach Matt Campbell still has time before any real questions about his job security come into play, but the start has been rough. The Nittany Lions are 3-4 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten, with all three wins coming against non-Power Four opponents.
Penn State has five games left to try to steady things, beginning with Purdue at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 31.
In Other News...
Penn State Title Chase Now Hinges On Two Huge Lineup Decisions
Penn States path back into the center of the national title conversation is getting a boost at two key weights, with Cael Sanderson saying Tyler Kasak and Josh Barr are expected to be fully recovered and back in competition. Both wrestlers were injured at the U.S. Open in April, but each has now resumed hard work, giving the Nittany Lions added clarity as lineup planning starts to sharpen.
Kasak is projected to slot in at 157 pounds, while Barr is returning with the kind of expectations that go beyond simply filling a spot. For a program that measures seasons by March more than by anything else, those two decisions carry real weight, and Penn State now has to see how quickly both can settle back in and contend for top honors. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Suddenly Has A Recruiting Problem Matt Campbell Can't Ignore
Penn States recruiting picture took another jolt when 2027 quarterback commit Will Wood backed off his pledge and picked Boston College instead. It is the kind of move that can happen early in a cycle, but it still lands with extra weight for a program trying to steady itself and keep its future classes on track.
Matt Campbell said his staff is working across multiple recruiting classes while also trying not to lose sight of the team in front of them. For Penn State, that balance matters right now: the staff has to keep pushing on the trail, keep evaluating what comes next, and still find a way to help the current roster improve enough to make those conversations easier. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Quarterback Move Changes How Penn State Fans May View That Loss
Tommy Carr is in line to make his first career start for Michigan against Indiana after his effective relief work against Penn State, a move that should at least prompt a little rethinking in State College about the sting of that loss. Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said the staff has settled on a starter, though he stopped short of naming Carr publicly, and also made clear he feels good about Carrs preparation and football IQ.
Bryce Underwood, who had been the starter before the change, is expected to stay on the sideline unless the Wolverines need him because of injury or performance issues. For Penn State, the bigger takeaway is less about who Michigan is starting next and more about what that quarterback decision says about how the Wolverines viewed the game Carr helped swing in relief. [Read more 🡒]