What is Maryland AD Jim Smith waiting for with Michael Locksley? | ANALYSIS

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“Yesterday.”

That was Michael Locksley’s answer Saturday when asked when Maryland football’s repeated promises of improvement would translate into results.

Not next week. Not next month. Yesterday.

Yet Sunday came and went without word of a coaching change. After another lopsided loss, this time a 45-16 defeat at No. 5 Ohio State, the eighth-year coach is preparing for Saturday’s homecoming game against Rutgers, while athletic director Jim Smith continues to stand pat.

What is Smith waiting for?

What could the next six games reveal that the previous 30 haven’t?

Maryland’s latest loss was its fourth straight and 11th in a row in Big Ten play. Since 2024, the Terps are 2-19 in the conference, losing by an average of 20.3 points. This year, their three Big Ten defeats have come by an average of 35 points.

And frankly, it’s almost sad to watch Locksley’s tenure unravel. Because this shouldn’t be how he’s remembered in College Park.

When Locksley arrived in December 2018, Maryland was reeling from offensive lineman Jordan McNair’s death, an investigation into the program’s culture, and DJ Durkin’s firing. Locksley helped restore credibility, guided the Terps through the COVID-19 pandemic and a rapidly changing college athletics landscape, strengthened relationships with local recruits, and eventually delivered three consecutive bowl victories from 2021 through 2023.

He’s become one of the university’s most recognizable and charismatic ambassadors.

But the progress stalled. Back-to-back 4-8 seasons followed, and Maryland is now 2-4. Nobody expects the Terps to match Ohio State overnight, but competing respectably in their own conference shouldn’t be an extravagant ambition.

Locksley’s affection for the university is hard to question. Passed over for the permanent job in 2015, he went to Alabama, rebuilt his coaching reputation, and returned three years later to lead the school he’d long wanted to coach. Those close to him speak warmly of the person behind the headset.

None of that makes him immune from judgment. A coach can be a good man, a key figure in a program’s recovery, and still not be the right person to take it forward.

After Saturday’s loss, Locksley acknowledged his responsibility.

“For me, that’s the part as the head coach. I got to make it good enough,” he said.

Pressed on why he deserved more opportunities, he promised to keep showing up with a plan to address the problems.

And really, what else is he supposed to say?

He has players to lead and games left to coach. His responsibility is to keep trying.

Smith’s responsibility is different.

And he’s already given Locksley an opportunity to turn things around.

Last November, amid another losing streak, the athletic director retained the 56-year-old coach for 2026 and pledged additional investment. Maryland then reported a record $43.7 million in fundraising commitments, upgraded SECU Stadium, and kept much of its promising young roster intact.

Another season, more backing, familiar personnel. Yet the same failings remain.

After UCLA embarrassed Maryland, 54-3, on Sept. 26, Smith told The Baltimore Sun he and Locksley were “aligned on the work in front of us.” An athletic department spokesperson said that would be his final public comment on the coach’s job status.

The Terps have since lost to Nebraska by 25 points and to Ohio State by 29.

Aligned toward what, exactly?

Money offers one plausible reason for hesitation. A dismissal around now would carry an estimated $9.9 million buyout, versus roughly $9.3 million after the regular-season finale. The difference — about $600,000 — matters, as does the chance to line up donors and plan a transition.

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But Smith hasn’t publicly explained why those considerations outweigh the cost of allowing this to drag on.

With each passing week, the conversation surrounding Locksley shifts further from the program he helped rebuild to the one he can no longer seem to fix.

The decision might be uncomfortable. The financial implications certainly are.

But Maryland’s athletic director has already seen enough.

It’s time he acts like it.

Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes.

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