Maryland fired long-time 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 its homecoming game Saturday inside SECU Stadium.
"Following thoughtful conversations with Coach Locksley, we agreed that a coaching change was in the best interest of Coach Locksley and the Maryland football program," Maryland athletic director Jim Smith said in a statement.
Maryland will begin its search for Locksley's replacement immediately. "President Darryll J. Pines and I are fully aligned in our commitment to providing the investment, infrastructure and resources required for Maryland Football to succeed," Smith said.
Locksley, who arrived at Maryland in December 2018, had a 39-54 record over seven-plus seasons as the Terrapins' head coach. The high point of the Locksley era in College Park came from 2021-2023, when Maryland won at least 7 games and reached a bowl game for 3 consecutive seasons. A Music City Bowl win over Auburn to finish the 2023 season with an 8-5 record portended a bright future.
Instead, Maryland went 4-8 in 2024 and 2025 as the program fell down the Big Ten totem pole. The school and its top supporters increased the financial support for Locksley's program ahead of a critical 2026 season. Locksley brought in a new offensive coordinator, Clint Trickett, added top-five recruit Zion Elee and retained rising quarterback Malik Washington. Maryland was no longer among the lowest spenders on football rosters in the Big Ten. The schedule seemed manageable enough that Maryland supporters were hoping for seven or more wins.
It didn't pan out the way anyone hoped, as the Terps dropped home games to Virginia Tech, UCLA and Rutgers. The 54-3 loss to first-year coach Bob Chesney's UCLA Bruins was especially embarrassing and all but decided Locksley's fate. Locksley hadn't notched a win over a Power Four opponent in more than a year and had a 2-20 record in the Big Ten since 2024.
Maryland will owe Locksley $9.75 million in buyout money, sources told CBS Sports, with no offset language in the deal if he gets another job elsewhere. Locksley was making $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 that featured Penn State, Florida and Virginia Tech all firing their coaches by mid-October, Maryland finally broke the seal and started this season's cycle.
Newly promoted defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will take over as the interim coach, sources told CBS Sports. His first game as interim head coach will be Oct. 31 against Illinois in College Park. Abdul-Rahim was bumped up to the interim defensive coordinator role when Locksley fired defensive coordinator Ted Monachino on Sunday.
Future of the program
Who Maryland turns to next to guide the program will be fascinating.
Locksley, a Washington, D.C. native, made so much sense when Maryland hired him away from Alabama after a stint as Nick Saban's offensive coordinator. He had deep ties to the area and a strong recruiting reputation. He had just won the Broyles Award as the nation's best assistant and legitimately viewed Maryland as 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, which Locksley had succeeded at before it came crashing down in 2024. Locksley's deep recruiting ties could still lead to a big commit or two, but money quickly became king.
Now, Maryland is dedicating more resources to its football program. It's not at the Ohio State or Michigan level, but it's not at the basement of the Big Ten, either. At least not when it comes to football roster spending. That should be attractive to any prospective next coach, though Maryland will have to sell the program's untapped potential rather than a reputation as a difficult place to win.
With high school recruiting less of an emphasis in the NIL world, Maryland could target an experienced program builder. Would Wake Forest's Jake Dickert have any interest? Perhaps New Mexico's Jason Eck or UNLV's Dan Mullen would jump at a Power Four head coach opportunity?
Maryland is the only Power Four job currently available, which gives it an early advantage.
Can new coach hold onto the roster?
One of the big questions moving forward is how much of Maryland's roster will remain without Locksley at the helm.
One might think that's not a primary concern for a 2-5 roster, but there is some real talent on the team. The conversation starts with quarterback Malik Washington, who has regressed in 2026 but showed flashes of brilliance as a true freshman when he threw for 2,963 yards. Whoever takes over for Locksley will have to decide whether to keep Washington and the plan to get him back on track. The ceiling is still incredibly high for Washington.
There is real talent on the defense, too. From Sidney Stewart to Daniel Wingate to Zahir Mathis, who went down with a season-ending injury before the year but was expected to do big things. Maryland spent up in the offseason to hold on to its roster, but it didn't pay off in the win column in 2026. There is a talented nucleus to work with, but how much of it will stay with the new coaching staff remains to be seen.
