Maryland will keep Mike Locksley for 2026 season amid six-game Big Ten losing skid
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Maryland football reportedly won’t add its name to the growing list of head coaching vacancies among Power Four conference programs.
Terrapins athletic director Jim Smith told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday, Nov. 16 that Mike Locksley will return to College Park for the 2026 season amid Maryland’s 4-6 record this season. Smith then announced it himself in an open letter to Maryland fans.
The decision by Smith comes less than 24 hours after the Terrapins suffered their sixth consecutive loss in Big Ten play with a 24-6 road loss at Illinois. The loss to the Illini marked their Terrapins’ 14th in their last 16 Big Ten contests, with those two wins against Southern California last season and at Wisconsin this year.
“Coach Locksley bleeds Maryland, has deep and unmatched ties to the DMV, and he has led this program to success unprecedented in our 133-year football history — including three consecutive bowl victories — with three straight winning seasons from 2021-23. Those accomplishments demonstrate what this program is capable of when aligned and supported,” Smith said of Locksley in his letter.
“But in the two short years since that run, the entire environment of college athletics has transformed. To continue building on this foundation, Coach Locksley needs — and deserves — the full support of our department, our university, and all of Terp Nation. We are fully committed to giving him and our student-athletes the resources and investments necessary to succeed. I have worked closely with Coach Locksley to rapidly strengthen our NIL support for 2026 and beyond, with a clear and focused effort on roster retention, recruiting, and being highly competitive in the transfer portal.”
Smith also mentioned that to ESPN that, on top of prioritizing “roster retention, recruiting and competing in the transfer portal,” the Terrapins are looking at increasing their NIL budget and program resources to help Locksley and his staff compete next season.
He mentioned in his letter to fans that Locksley and he will sit down with senior deputy athletic director Diana Sabau at the conclusion of the 2025 season to look over the “every aspect” of the program to make sure the program is positioned to compete for Big Ten championships and berths to the College Football Playoff.
Locksley is in his seventh season at Maryland, a position to which he was hired in December 2018. In his time back at Maryland — he previously served as an assistant in two different stints — the Terrapins have struggled in the Big Ten, going 16-41 in league play.
“I am confident that we have the right foundation in place, the enhanced resources that position us to compete at a higher level in 2026, and a coach who can truly own the DMV. Every decision we’ve made reflects our belief in this program’s potential and its leadership. We are fully committed to getting this right — and making you proud of our football program,” Smith wrote.
Maryland is currently 36-42 all-time under Locksley as its full-time coach. With No. 17 Michigan and Michigan State remaining on the schedule, Maryland has a few additional opportunities to become bowl eligible for the fourth time under Locksley.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maryland football staying with Mike Locksley amid Big Ten struggles
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