Mike Locksley fired as Maryland coach after 12th straight Big Ten loss

Why Maryland pulled the plug

Maryland fired eighth-year coach Mike Locksley on Wednesday, cutting him loose after the Terrapins dropped their 12th straight Big Ten game, a 37-30 homecoming loss to Rutgers. Locksley leaves with a 39-54 record over parts of eight seasons in College Park, and just 10-21 since the start of the 2024 season. He was earning $6.4 million this year on a contract that ran through 2028, and Maryland now owes him a $9.75 million buyout with no offset, meaning the school pays the full amount even if he lands another job.

The Rutgers game was the one that ended it. Maryland blew a lead at home on homecoming, giving up 24 unanswered second-half points in front of a sparse crowd at SECU Stadium. It was the 20th loss in the program's last 22 Big Ten games. Locksley had not beaten a Power 4 opponent in more than a year, and the Terps are winless in their last 13 meetings with Power 4 teams.

Why this season fell apart

Maryland opened 2026 with wins over Hampton and UConn, then lost five straight starting with a 35-26 home defeat to Virginia Tech on Sept. 19. The skid continued against UCLA, Nebraska, Ohio State and Rutgers, with Maryland allowing an average of 43.8 points and losing by an average of 24.6 points across those four Big Ten games. A 54-3 home loss to first-year UCLA coach Bob Chesney was the low point and, by most accounts, the moment that decided Locksley's fate.

The defense was the core problem. Maryland has given up 219 points during the five-game losing streak and ranks 133rd nationally in points allowed at 33.3 per game, 83rd in yards allowed. Locksley fired defensive coordinator Ted Monachino on Sunday, three days before his own firing.

Who's running the team now

Maryland is turning to Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who had just been promoted to defensive coordinator after Monachino's firing, as interim head coach. Abdul-Rahim is a Washington, D.C. native with deep ties to the region, and the school views him as someone who can help hold the roster together through the transition.

The Terps (2-5) are on a bye this week before hosting Illinois on Oct. 31. That gives Abdul-Rahim two weeks to get settled before his first game in charge.

The money didn't buy results

This was supposed to be the season Maryland turned things around. Athletic director Jim Smith backed Locksley last November and brought him back for an eighth season with a promise of better resources. The program followed through, adding 15 transfers and the nation's 37th-ranked recruiting class, headlined by No. 2 overall prospect Zion Elee, along with new offensive coordinator Clint Trickett and returning quarterback Malik Washington. None of it showed up in the record.

It's a long way from where this program stood a few years ago. From 2021 through 2023, Maryland won at least seven games and reached a bowl in three straight seasons, capped by a Music City Bowl win over Auburn that closed out an 8-5 2023 season. Instead, the Terps went 4-8 in both 2024 and 2025 before this year's collapse made the decision for Maryland's administration. Locksley, who also had multiple stints as a Maryland assistant dating back to 1997, becomes the first Power Four coach fired this season.

Facts per ESPN, CBS Sports. Opinion is the taproom's.