Maryland Parts With Coach Mike Locksley After Fifth Straight Loss, Calls It Mutual

The University of Maryland and head football coach Mike Locksley are parting ways, the school announced Wednesday, Oct. 21, four days after a home loss to Rutgers made it five straight defeats. The Terrapins are 2-5 with five games left in the 2026 season.

Maryland's official statement calls it "a mutual decision" and says Locksley is "stepping down," effective immediately. ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported that the school was firing him.

Co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim is the interim head coach.

How the season fell apart

Maryland started 2-0 with wins over Hampton and UConn. Then came back-to-back home losses to Virginia Tech and UCLA, both led by first-year coaches. Road losses to Nebraska and Ohio State followed.

On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Terps hosted Rutgers on Homecoming, in front of a light crowd, and blew a 10-point halftime lead in a 37-30 loss. It was Rutgers' first win of the season over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. It was also Maryland's eighth straight Big Ten home loss.

The Virginia Tech loss ended a 20-game winning streak against nonconference opponents.

The record

Locksley went 38-49 at Maryland from 2019 to 2026, and 16-47 in Big Ten play. Add his six games as interim coach in 2015, when the Terps went 1-5, and his overall mark with the program is 39-54.

The peak came from 2021 to 2023: three straight bowl wins, a first for the program, and back-to-back 8-5 seasons in 2022 and 2023. Since then Maryland is 10-21, including 4-8 in both 2024 and 2025. Maryland finished with a losing record in four of his seven complete seasons.

The defense of Locksley is on the record from the school itself. President Darryll J. Pines said Locksley "rebuilt Maryland football and brought together the community and fan base during a difficult time period in the history of the university." Locksley was hired in December 2018, weeks after DJ Durkin was fired following the heatstroke death of lineman Jordan McNair.

Pines also called him "a consummate professional, committed to student-athlete well-being." Athletic director Jim Smith said Locksley "made a lasting impact on the young men he coached."

Locksley said he is "proud of the work we have done together" and remains "deeply invested in the success and well-being of the young men in this program."

The money

The financial figures are not uniform. Locksley was paid $6.4 million this season and was under contract through 2028. Fox Sports puts the amount Maryland owes him at $9.2 million. Sports Illustrated estimates roughly $9.75 million. The Washington Sun says more than $9 million. An OutKick report cited a figure of $4.9 million payable within 60 days.

Maryland's announcement does not state a buyout amount.

Whatever the final number, it is a large sum tied to a contract that ran two-plus more years, for a program that has won 10 of its last 31 games. Maryland is a public university. Whether the school pays in a lump sum or over time, and how the cost is covered, has not been disclosed.

What comes next

Maryland has an open date this week. Abdul-Rahim, a Washington, D.C., native in his second stint with the Terrapins, has been on staff since 2024 and also coached there from 2016 to 2018. He is the program's interim head coach for the remaining games.

Smith said a "comprehensive national search" will begin immediately and be conducted "with a high degree of confidentiality." He is looking for "a proven leader who can develop student-athletes, build a championship-caliber culture and recruit at an elite level."

Smith, hired in July 2025, previously spent five years as senior vice president of business strategy for the Atlanta Braves and earlier ran the Ohio State Alumni Association. This is his first head coaching search.

Smith said he and Pines are "fully aligned in our commitment to providing the investment, infrastructure and resources required for Maryland Football to succeed." How much money that means, and whether it matches the size of the buyout, will show up in the next contract Maryland offers.