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For the first time this season (and definitely not the last), the ax has fallen on a power conference head football coach. Hitting the unemployment line first is Maryland’s long-embattled head coach Mike Locksley.
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According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Locksley has been dismissed following their loss to Big Ten minnow Rutgers, which dropped them to 2-5 on the season. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will reportedly serve as the interim head coach.
Locksley was 38-49 since becoming their full-time head coach in 2019 and 39-54 overall when factoring in his 1-5 stint as interim coach in 2016.
“Sources: Maryland coach Mike Locksley has been dismissed. Maryland dropped to 2-5 on Saturday after a last-second loss to Rutgers. Locksley is 39-54 overall at Maryland, including his interim stint in 2015. Maryland is on a bye this week,” Thamel wrote.
“Maryland has called a team meeting for 11:30, per sources, where the team will be informed of the change. Per ESPN sources, the interim coach is longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who has strong ties to the area.”
Bottom to Top and Back
After winning just five games in his first two seasons at the helm, Locksley successfully led the Terrapins to three straight seasons that ended in bowl wins. The team went 7-6 in 2021, 8-5 in 2022 and 8-5 in 2023, winning the Pinstripe, Duke’s Mayo and Music City Bowls in the process.
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But since 2024, the team has fallen back to the bottom of the conference in the worst way. The team has a grand total of 10 wins since 2024 and only two of those wins have come in the Big Ten.
The good news for Maryland fans is that by axing Locksley before any other power conference team has, they can get a head start on finding an ideal replacement.
And with five games left in the season, Abdul-Rahim might be able to make a case for himself if he can make the team look a little more competent. Their remaining games are against Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, USC and Penn State – several of which should be winnable.
Who will Maryland name as their next full-time head coach? Who will be the next coach to fall?
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