Mike Locksley fired by Maryland after 12 straight Big Ten losses; all you need to know

Maryland parted ways with head coach Mike Locksley on Wednesday after the Terrapins dropped their 12th consecutive Big Ten game. The move ends Locksley’s eighth season leading the program. The 56-year-old finished with a 39-54 overall record at Maryland and was 10-21 since the start of the 2024 campaign.

The decision followed a 37-30 homecoming loss to Rutgers on Saturday. Maryland surrendered 24 unanswered points in the second half in front of a sparse crowd. The defeat marked the program’s 20th loss in its last 22 Big Ten contests and extended a five-game losing streak. The Terrapins (2-5) are 0-4 in conference play this season and sit on a bye before hosting Illinois on October 31.

Mike Locksley’s position had drawn scrutiny for more than a year after back-to-back 4-8 seasons in 2024 and 2025. Athletic director Jim Smith publicly backed him last November and promised additional resources. Maryland responded by bringing in 15 transfers and landing the nation’s 37th-ranked recruiting class, headlined by No. 2 overall prospect Zion Elee.

After opening wins over Hampton and UConn, the Terps lost 35-26 at home to Virginia Tech and then fell to UCLA, Nebraska, Ohio State and Rutgers. In those five defeats, they allowed an average of 43.8 points and lost by an average margin of 24.6 points.

Maryland’s defense has surrendered 219 points during the current skid and ranks 133rd nationally in points allowed (33.3 per game). The program is also winless in its last 13 games against Power 4 opponents.

“We agreed that a coaching change was in the best interest of Coach Mike Locksley and the Maryland football program,” Smith said in a statement. “On behalf of the University of Maryland, I want to thank Michael for his dedication to our football program and the genuine care he showed our student-athletes. Michael represented Maryland with pride, strengthened our connection throughout the state and the region, and made a lasting impact on the young men he coached. Our immediate responsibility is to provide stability for our players and ensure they have the resources, guidance and support they need. They have continued to represent Maryland with determination, and our entire department will stand behind them as we begin this next chapter.”

Locksley released his own statement. “Maryland football and this community mean a great deal to me,” he said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this program for so many years, and for the relationships I have built with our players, staff, alumni and supporters. I am proud of the work we have done together and remain deeply invested in the success and well-being of the young men in this program. They deserve our continued support, and I will always want the best for them and Maryland football.”

He added later: “My connection to this region and the people who make this community special is something I will always value. I appreciate everyone who has supported me and our entire program during my time at Maryland, and I wish the players, staff and the entire Maryland football community success in the future.”

Mike Locksley was scheduled to earn $6.4 million this season on a deal that runs through 2028. He is owed a $9.75 million buyout with no offset or mitigation. Maryland will pay the full amount even if he takes another job.

Longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim has been named interim head coach while the school begins a national search. A Washington DC, native, Abdul-Rahim was recently promoted to defensive coordinator after Locksley fired Ted Monachino on Sunday. He previously helped Maryland land top-20 and top-30 recruiting classes in 2017 and 2018 and has coached at Boston College under Jeff Hafley, at Alabama under Nick Saban, and as defensive coordinator at UMass.

Locksley first coached at Maryland as an assistant from 1997 to 2015 and served as interim head coach in 2015. He returned as permanent head coach in 2019 after three seasons on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama. His local ties helped land players such as Elee and quarterback Malik Washington. The Terps posted three winning seasons and three bowl victories between 2021 and 2023 before the recent downturn.

Aachal Maniyar is a Senior Content Producer at LiveMint, where she covers US sports with a focus on major leagues, marquee events, and athlete-driven stories, while also reporting extensively on cricket and global sports. With over five years of first-hand journalism experience, she combines sharp editorial judgment with real-time sports storytelling across platforms. <br><br> Her reporting journey spans leading newsrooms including Thomson Reuters, India TV, BTVI, ET NOW, and CNBC TV18, where she has worked across breaking news, live match coverage, feature writing, interviews, video scripting, and anchoring. This multi-platform exposure has shaped her ability to deliver context-rich sports and business journalism tailored for both television and digital audiences. <br><br> Aachal has conducted and produced exclusive interviews with athletes and public figures such as India cricketer Dhruv Jurel, Indian women’s hockey captain Savita Punia, and industrialist Ratan Tata, along with several emerging and established sports personalities. Her body of work includes in-depth explainers, athlete profiles, emotionally resonant fan narratives, and data-backed match analysis across cricket, Olympic sports, and international competitions. <br><br> She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune, and believes in reporting that is grounded in accuracy, clarity, and credibility. Her philosophy is simple: sports journalism should go beyond scores and statistics, capturing the human stories, pressure moments, and decisions that shape the game and the people who play it.