Maryland’s coaching search is open, and the list of possible replacements for Mike Locksley already has some familiar college football names on it.
The Terps moved on from Locksley after a 2-5 start this season, closing the book on a stretch that also included back-to-back 4-8 campaigns. Maryland handed the interim job to longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, though he’s not expected to be the long-term answer.
So where does Maryland go next? One path would be to chase a proven program builder, the kind Indiana found in Curt Cignetti.
That exact formula is hard to copy, but the Hoosiers’ rise shows it can be done. With that in mind, four candidates stand out.
Charles Huff is one of them, and maybe the cleanest fit on paper. The Memphis head coach was born in Denton, Maryland, and spent time on the Terps’ staff in 2009. He has moved around since then, but he knows the area and has roots in the program.
Huff’s head coaching résumé includes stops at Marshall, Southern Miss and Memphis, and he’s posted a 44-27 record since the 2021 season. He also spent time as an assistant at Penn State, Mississippi State and Alabama, so he’s been around Power Four football.
For Maryland, the appeal is obvious: stability. The question would be whether he could get enough recruiting buy-in to make it work.
Another name to watch is Brian Kelly, who is currently working as a college football analyst for CBS Sports after his run at LSU. A return to coaching would require the right landing spot, and Maryland could at least make a case.
Kelly’s background includes head coaching jobs at Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU. He has long been viewed as a strong recruiter, and that matters here because Maryland’s issue under Locksley wasn’t recruiting as much as development. For Kelly, the job could serve as a bridge back into coaching while giving Maryland a chance to reset.
Indiana’s rise has also put two coordinators in the spotlight: Mike Shanahan and Bryant Haines. Curt Cignetti brought both over from James Madison, and both have helped power the Hoosiers’ success.
It’s difficult to imagine either staying put forever. Bigger jobs are likely to come calling, and both already know the Big Ten well.
If Indiana can climb into powerhouse territory, there’s no reason Maryland can’t believe the same thing is possible with the right staff. Shanahan or Haines could fit that mold.
The final name is Billy Napier, now at James Madison after his Florida tenure ended from 2022 to 2025. Napier originally got the Gators job off the work he did at the University of Louisiana, and he’s quickly showing again that he can win at a lower level. The Dukes are undefeated.
Napier has coached only in the South, but he’s still an intriguing possibility. He’s a strong recruiter, and while he would like to use James Madison as a springboard back to the Power Four, Maryland could make sense if he wants the next rung on the ladder.
In Other News...
Rutgers Just Got A Needed Boost Before A Brutal Road Test
A sorely needed bit of stability arrived for Rutgers on Saturday with Dantae Chin back at left tackle, giving the Scarlet Knights a steadier edge up front after the offensive line had spent much of the season trying to settle itself. Chins presence matters even more with Northwestern next on the schedule, because the Wildcats bring a defense that can squeeze games and a rushing attack that tends to make every snap feel heavier than it should.
Rutgers also got some encouraging production elsewhere in the win over Maryland, with freshman wide receiver Dyzier Carter turning in a career-high six catches for 88 yards. And on a night when the defense had to keep answering, linebacker Sean Allison helped preserve the margin with a key coverage play late in the fourth quarter, the kind of stop that can loom large when the margin for error gets thin before a road trip like this one. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Faces A Bigger Question Than Just Beating Northwestern
Rutgers heads into Northwestern with a little momentum after upsetting Maryland, but the bigger challenge is figuring out whether that breakthrough can travel into one of the tougher road environments in the Big Ten. The Wildcats arrive ranked No. 24 and have been especially tough at home, which makes this matchup about more than just carrying over last weeks energy. It is also a chance for Rutgers to show that the upset was a step forward, not just a one-off spike.
Northwesterns success has come with balance and efficiency, with quarterback Aidan Chiles helping drive an offense that has been productive enough to keep opponents on alert. The scoring profiles for both teams have also made this a game to watch from a betting perspective, since each side has spent much of the season in higher-scoring territory. For Rutgers, the question is whether it can keep pace if this turns into the kind of game that asks a defense to make every stop count. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Just Got More Context For The Michigan TV Spotlight
Week 6s college football TV and attendance numbers gave a wider view of how the sport was drawing eyeballs and butts in seats, and the Big Ten had its share of the spotlight. The biggest audiences came from the league and the SEC, while games involving schools like Indiana, Michigan and Oregon also stood out on the attendance side, reinforcing how much attention still follows the conferences marquee matchups.
For Rutgers fans, the broader look matters because it puts the weeks Maryland game in some context. The crowd figure in that matchup may have looked like the low point in the Big Ten, but the data suggests the picture was a little murkier than it first appeared, with other games around the country producing similarly thin turnouts and some attendance reports not exactly lining up cleanly. [Read more 🡒]