Maryland fires Mike Locksley after 2-5 start, names interim coach and faces $10M buyout

Maryland football ended the Mike Locksley era Wednesday morning, parting ways with its head coach after the Terrapins fell to 2-5 on the season — their 12th consecutive Big Ten loss — following a 37-30 home defeat to Rutgers in which they surrendered 24 unanswered second-half points. The school described the separation as mutual.

Locksley, who is 56 according to ESPN and 59 according to CBS Sports, leaves with a record of 39-54 overall and just 10-21 since the start of 2024, per ESPN. He was in the middle of a contract running through 2028 and earning $6.4 million this season, meaning Maryland owes him a buyout of slightly less than $10 million with no offset, according to players.bio.

Defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, a longtime assistant with deep ties to the DMV area, was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season. His first significant act in the role, according to CBS Sports insiders Matt Zenitz and John Talty, was a move at defensive coordinator — though the specific hire had not been publicly confirmed as of reporting.

The decision had been building for weeks. Maryland's defense gave up 219 points during the five-game losing streak, ranking 127th nationally in points allowed. A week before the Rutgers loss, the Terrapins were routed 45-16 at Ohio State. On Sunday — two days before his own firing — Locksley dismissed defensive coordinator Ted Monachino.

I won't even get into that. As I said, I'm here for these players. I'm super convicted. The only thing I'm concerned about is doing my very best for them, until they tell me I can't. And those players continue to give me their best, so I'll continue to give them my best.— Mike Locksley, former Maryland head coach

That was Saturday, when Locksley was asked what he wanted his tenure to be remembered for. By Wednesday morning, the answer was out of his hands.

Athletic director Jim Smith oversaw the decision, though Maryland fans had long anticipated the move, per reporting.

A day after the announcement, Locksley told ESPN he doubts he will get another opportunity to be a college head coach and is not interested in rebuilding another program. CBS Sports noted that his track record as an offensive coordinator — including a national championship as co-offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2017 and strong offensive numbers at Maryland with players like Taulia Tagovailoa — makes him an attractive assistant candidate. Locksley has been on college football sidelines since beginning as a defensive backs coach at Towson State in 1992.

One roster complication looms immediately: four-star quarterback Malik Washington, the No. 54 overall player in the 2025 signing class per 247Sports, has a strong relationship with Locksley. CBS Sports noted that Washington — along with five-star EDGE Zion Elee and four-star running back DeJuan Williams — could become transfer portal targets given the coaching change, and that quarterback-needy programs might view Locksley's relationship with Washington as an incentive to hire him as an assistant.

The search for a permanent head coach is in its earliest stages.

The firing also produced a separate story about press freedom. Two University of Maryland student journalists — Nolan Rogalski of SB Nation's Testudo Times and Jude Wilkenfeld — stood outside the Jones-Hill House athletic complex Wednesday hoping to speak with players leaving after learning of Locksley's dismissal. A Maryland staff member called police, reporting them for suspicious activity. Two officers arrived, questioned the students, and recorded their IDs.

For @testudotimes, @JudeWilkenfeld and I were outside Jones-Hill House trying to get players to comment. An athletics staffer took pictures of us, and a police dispatch was called for suspicious activity; a cop and 2 cop cars pulled up, and officers ID'd us and asked us to leave.— Nolan Rogalski, Testudo Times journalist

The University of Maryland Police Department said no report was filed. By Wednesday evening, UMPD and Maryland Athletics issued a joint statement citing 'heightened concerns for staff and player safety around the football program in recent weeks' as the reason police were contacted, and affirming that they 'respect the First Amendment rights of all journalists reporting in public spaces,' according to Fox News.

Why it matters — Maryland's coaching change triggers a roughly $10 million buyout, a roster retention battle in the transfer portal, and a high-stakes head coaching search that will define the program's trajectory in a competitive Big Ten.

Sources differ on Locksley's age at time of firing: 56 (players.bio) vs 59 (cbssports.com)

Reported by yahoo.com, cbssports.com, foxnews.com, nytimes.com, players.bio, on3.com, collegefootballnetwork.com