Maryland’s decision to move on from Mike Locksley on Wednesday, Oct. 21, doesn’t just change the sideline. It also opens the door for other programs to start circling a roster that suddenly looks a lot more vulnerable.
Locksley’s run in College Park ended with a 39-54 record, back-to-back 4-8 seasons and a 2-5 start in 2026 that pointed toward another losing year. He had guided Maryland to its last winning season in 2023, when the Terrapins finished 8-5 for a second straight year. After he fired defensive coordinator Ted Monachino this past Sunday, Maryland made another major move and turned the team over to longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim as interim head coach for the rest of the season.
With that kind of instability, Maryland has become the sort of program where other schools will immediately start asking questions. Four players in particular stand out as names the Terps will try hard to keep from entering the transfer portal.
Zion Elee is the biggest one. The Baltimore native arrived with major expectations and immediately lived up to the billing.
He became the highest-rated recruit in Maryland history when he signed, a five-star and the No. 2 player in the class per ESPN. With Zahir Mathis sidelined for the year, Elee was forced into a bigger role right away, and he has delivered 12 tackles while pacing the team with 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Programs that were already in the mix for him - Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State - will almost certainly be watching closely.
Mathis is another name that belongs on the watch list. He was Maryland’s headline edge recruit in 2025 after flipping from Ohio State before signing day, and he made an immediate impact as a freshman.
Last season, he posted 35 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. A preseason injury has kept him out of the 2026 season, but his freshman tape was enough to show what kind of player he can become.
Ohio State and Penn State were both involved before, and with the Nittany Lions now under a new coaching staff, James Franklin and Virginia Tech could also enter the picture.
The quarterback situation is just as important. Malik Washington took over as a true freshman in 2025 and showed enough to make Maryland look like it had its starter for the next few years.
He passed for 2,963 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions during that season. In 2026, though, the mistakes have piled up.
Through seven games, Washington has thrown for 1,615 yards and nine touchdowns, but he has also tossed six interceptions. The talent is still obvious, but if Maryland doesn’t bring in an offensive-minded coach, he could wind up looking elsewhere for a place to develop and win.
Sidney Stewart rounds out the group. The three-star prospect from the 2025 class is listed as a linebacker, though Maryland has also used him as a hybrid edge piece.
He and Mathis were the engine of the defense a year ago, with Stewart leading the team as a true freshman with 10.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. This season, his numbers are more modest: 26 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
He didn’t draw a heavy recruiting push coming out of high school, but Virginia Tech was interested, and Brent Pry is still there as the defensive coordinator. If Stewart decides to move on, the Hokies could be in the mix.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Faces A Rare Opening To End Its Clemson Misery
Clemson comes into Saturday with a very unusual profile for a program that so often survives on offense. The Tigers have leaned on defense and kicking to stay 4-2, while a midseason shakeup sent Chad Morris back into the offensive coordinator role after Garrett Riley was dismissed. For Virginia Tech, it creates a chance to get in a matchup the Hokies have rarely been able to dictate, with bowl eligibility still the clear target in James Franklins first season.
The bigger question is whether Clemson can find even a modest spark on offense after six games that have tested the whole structure of the attack. Virginia Tech has spent enough time chasing the Tigers to know how quickly a tight game can flip on one possession, but this version of Clemson has been living on field position and mistakes by opponents rather than explosive plays. If the Hokies are going to take advantage of this opening, they may need to do it while Clemson is still figuring out what its offense is supposed to be. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Gets A Clemson Test With ACC Stakes Suddenly Rising
Clemsons next stretch in the ACC opens with Virginia Tech, and it comes at a time when the league standings are starting to matter more by the week. The Tigers have five upcoming games against conference opponents currently ranked below them, beginning with a Hokies team that has made its passing game a real point of strength under quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.
For Virginia Tech, that means the challenge is not just keeping pace with a familiar power, but testing itself against a roster that could soon have another key piece back. Dabo Swinney has indicated Christopher Vizzina is close to returning from an elbow injury, adding another layer to Clemsons quarterback situation as the Hokies prepare to see how their offense stacks up in a game with real ACC implications. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Still Has An ACC Path But Almost No Margin Left
Virginia Techs season is still hanging around the edge of the ACC race, but the room for error has all but disappeared. At 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play, the Hokies are bunched with three other teams in the standings and still chasing unbeaten Miami, which means every week now carries the feel of a separator rather than just another league game.
The road ahead is a brutal one, and the Hokies do not just need to keep winning, they need help elsewhere in the conference picture. With the ACCs new tiebreaker setup and ESPNs FPI projections part of the conversation, Virginia Tech is trying to stay alive in a race where one slip could end the chase for the title game and the automatic College Football Playoff berth that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]