Locksley era is over at Maryland as Terrapins make major move

Mike Locksley. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Mike Locksley era is over at Maryland as Terrapins make major move

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Oct 21, 2026 12:07 PM ET

After a disastrous 2-5 start to the season, the Maryland Terrapins will have a new head football coach when they take the field again at home on Halloween against Illinois.

Mike Locksley is out at Maryland

According to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel, Maryland has parted ways with head coach Mike Locksley. Locksley served as interim head coach at Maryland in 2015 before returning as the full-time head coach in 2019.

Since he took over in 2019, Locksley's teams have gone just 38-49 and have never been ranked above No. 21 in the AP Poll. Locksley entered 2026 on the hot seat after back-to-back 4-8 seasons, and with the team headed for another one, his time has been cut short.

The firing of Locksley comes just a few days after he decided to fire his defensive coordinator, Ted Monachino, due to the defense allowing 46 points per game in Big Ten play.

Maryland has called a team meeting for 11:30, per sources, where the team will be informed of the change. Per ESPN sources, the interim coach is longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who has strong ties to the area. https://t.co/OMOCgRpXMu
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 21, 2026

Maryland defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino has been relieved of his coaching duties. The announcement came from coach Mike Locksley.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 18, 2026

A long rebuild could be in order for Maryland

Maryland certainly is a tough place to consistently win, but many thought Locksley was the man who could get it done. With that now not being the case, it's time to look ahead at the future of Maryland football.

A roster overhaul next season is extremely likely, as several players who are currently with the program were recruited by Locksley and chose to be a Terrapin to play for him. With his departure, it is likely that a good majority of those players will enter the transfer portal.

That will likely include extremely talented sophomore quarterback Malik Washington. Washington was one of the biggest recruiting gets of Locksley's tenure at Maryland, and he could very well be on the move.

Whoever the administration at Maryland decides to hire will have their work cut out for them in trying to rebuild a program that hasn't been ranked since 2019 and has finished over .500 just five times in the last 13 seasons.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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