Maryland Finally Makes Inevitable Mike Locksley Decision

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COLUMBUS, OHIO - OCTOBER 10: Head Coach Mike Locksley of the Maryland Terrapins reacts to a play during the second quarter of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on October 10, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)

In the middle of his ninth season at Maryland, Mike Locksley has been fired. On Wednesday morning with the Terrapins sitting at 2-5 and 0-4 in Big Ten play, ESPN’s Pete Thamel and others reported Maryland decided to move on from Locksley during their bye week.

Mike Locksley Was in the Midst of His 9th Season at Maryland

With his final game at the helm being a 37-30 loss to Rutgers at home, Locksley’s tenure ends with a 39-54 overall record and a 17-52 mark within the Big Ten. And while Locksley was afforded one final opportunity, mostly due to financial concerns connected to his hefty buyout, to right the ship in 2026 after back-to-back 4-8 season in 2024 and 2025, Maryland’s five-game losing streak did him in.

Michigan v Maryland — GettyCOLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND – NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Mike Locksley of the Maryland Terrapins watches the game in the third quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at SECU Stadium on November 22, 2025 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

The Terrapins opened the season with wins over Hampton and UConn before falling to Virginia Tech prior to getting into the Big Ten schedule. Maryland then proceeded to lose to UCLA, Nebraska and Ohio State, each loss by double-digits, ahead of the latest Rugers defeat.

Locksley Has a Career Record That Has Him Almost 40 Games Below .500

Lockley’s overall resume throughout his 12-year career as a college football head coach likely makes this the end of the line for the 56-year-old Washington, D.C. native and former Towson State defensive back (1988-92). He now owns a career record that sits almost 40 games below .500 at 41-80, dating back to leading New Mexico for three seasons before being leaving to take over as offensive coordinator with Maryland in 2015, an opportunity that saw him serve as the interim head coach for six games, going 1-5.

Locksley’s was then eventually promoted to become the Terrapins’ head coach on a full-time basis in 2019, enduring a 3-9 year one and then a 2-3 record in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign. To his credit, Locksley’s did lead Maryland to three-straight winning seasons from 2021-23, culminating in three consecutive bowl wins. However, only being able to earn 10 combined wins in the 31 games since going 8-5 in 2023 made his dismissal inevitable, arguably multiple years too late.

Longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Maryland will pay Locksley $9.75 million as a buyout parting gift.