theref960
Maryland and head football coach Michael Locksley have mutually agreed to part ways, the university announced Wednesday. The decision comes four days after the Terrapins suffered their fifth straight loss, a 37-30 home defeat to Rutgers.
Locksley was in his eighth season at the helm and had coached seven games this year. He guided Maryland to three consecutive bowl victories from 2021 through 2023, a first for the program, but the team has struggled since, posting a 10-21 record over the past two-plus seasons.
Pressure had been mounting on Locksley to reverse the decline. The Terrapins dropped back-to-back home games to Virginia Tech and UCLA, both led by first-year coaches, before losing on the road to Nebraska and Ohio State. On Saturday, Maryland hosted Rutgers for homecoming with plenty of empty seats and squandered a 10-point halftime lead. The loss marked Rutgers' first win of the season over an FBS opponent.
Maryland, which has an open date this week, announced the move on X. Locksley finished his tenure with a 38-49 overall record and a 16-47 mark in Big Ten play. The Terrapins' 20-game winning streak against nonconference opponents was snapped with the loss to Virginia Tech.
Maryland hired Locksley in December 2018, about a month after coach DJ Durkin was fired following the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair from heatstroke suffered during an offseason workout. In Locksley's second game, the Terrapins defeated a ranked Syracuse team 63-20, but they finished the season 3-9. That pattern of early promise followed by struggles against Big Ten competition persisted throughout his tenure.
Locksley, who was Alabama's offensive coordinator before coming to Maryland, began turning the program around after quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa made the same move from the Crimson Tide. Tagovailoa put up impressive passing numbers, and Maryland posted three straight winning seasons. However, the Terrapins never seriously challenged the league's elite teams, and once Tagovailoa's stint ended, Maryland went 1-8 in conference play in back-to-back seasons.
Locksley, a native of the District of Columbia area, successfully recruited local quarterback Malik Washington, who showed promise as a freshman last season. But that did not translate into many wins, and the team's lack of progress early this season means another coach will work with Washington at Maryland, if the Terrapins can retain him.
Locksley's replacement will be the first major hire for athletic director Jim Smith, who took over last year.
Originally reported by theref960.