Maryland fired long-time head coach Mike Locksley on Wednesday after a 2-5 start to the 2026 season, sources told CBS Sports. The Terrapins lost, 37-30, to Rutgers in its homecoming game Saturday inside SECU Stadium.
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.