As Maryland prepares for their first Big Ten Conference road game of the season against Nebraska in Lincoln on Saturday afternoon, all of the noise surrounding the football program is focused squarely on head coach Mike Locksley. After following up their disappointing 9-point loss to Virginia Tech with a 51-point drubbing by UCLA, it certainly appears as though it’s simply a question of when, not if he’s relieved of his duties. Director of Athletics Jim Smith seems determined to make it to the team’s bye week before officially making a move, allowing for an easier transition to an interim head coach and giving the vultures less time to circle the program’s roster in attempts to poach talent.
According to ESPN Analytics, Maryland has a 7.3% chance to beat Nebraska and a 1.9% chance to beat Ohio State. Barring a shocking result in either of those two games, they’ll return to College Park with a record of 2-4 (0-3) heading into their Homecoming game against Rutgers. Even if they blow the Scarlet Knights out of the water, it’s hard to imagine that Smith doesn’t dismiss Locksley on October 18th with five games left in the season.
Jeff Ermann mentioned on Inside Maryland Sports (IMS) Radio’s podcast earlier this week that the three candidates he could see named as the team’s interim head coach would be Aazaar Abdul-Rahim (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach for Defense/Cornerbacks Coach), Matt Barnes (Special Teams Coordinator), or Kyle Schmitt (Tight Ends Coach). Schmitt would be particularly notable as he was quarterback Malik Washington’s head coach at Archbishop Spalding High School.
Despite all of this, Maryland has eight games left in their 2026 season and a roster full of players who will at the very least be playing for pride and future opportunities. Locksley mentioned during his press conference earlier this week that the offensive coaching staff would be simplifying their scheme for Washington following his ugly four-interception performance against the Bruins. While he’s shown flashes of brilliance, he’s also shown a lot of the same issues that plagued him as a true freshman: slow reads, sloppy footwork, and poor accuracy particularly on short and intermediate passes.
While Locksley and offensive coordinator Clint Trickett spoke about a desire for a strong rushing attack before the season began, what’s played out over the last few weeks has been anything but. After rushing for 365 yards and six touchdowns in their season-opener against Hampton, they’ve accumulated just 228 yards and four touchdowns on the ground during their last three games combined. Their running back room has been decimated by injuries, so much so that they turned to backup quarterback Cardell Williams in the backfield on numerous occasions last week, but the offensive line also hasn’t opened nearly enough holes in the running game.
The lack of a competent rushing attack isn’t new for Locksley during his tenure as head coach. The 2021 season was really the lone year in which the Terrapins could rely on the run during the past eight years. Otherwise, the fate of the offensive unit was placed squarely on the shoulders of quarterbacks Taulia Tagovailoa, Billy Edwards Jr., and now Washington. While that may win you games against the likes of Hampton or UConn, it’s extremely difficult to have success with such a one-dimensional attack in conference play.
Defensively, this year’s unit has seen most of the same issues that have plagued them over the last few years come back to haunt them. They had a whopping 19 missed tackles against Virginia Tech, which led to a large number of explosive plays for the Hokies. Defensive coordinator Ted Monachino’s unit has also allowed the 70th-most yards per game in the country, and they haven’t even reached the heart of their conference schedule yet. As a team, penalties have once again become an issue as they rank 59th in penalty yards per game.
Smith and Maryland’s boosters spent a lot of time and money to retain most of the young talent from last year’s roster, and gave Locksley a chance to build on the young foundation he’d assembled before the 2025 season. However, just four weeks into the year, the wheels have already started to come off and it’s clear that a change will have to be made. The only questions now are how ugly this might still get on the field, and when Smith will finally elect to pull the plug.
Terps Analyst
Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: zack.kiesel@baltimoresportsandlife.com.