David Butler II-Imagn Images
Sep 12, 2026; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field.
It’s beginning to feel more like a matter when, not if the Maryland Terrapins will cut ties with head football coach Mike Locksley, and even his former players are ready to see him go.
Locksley’s lengthy tenure as the Terrapins’ head coach hit a new low over the weekend with a 54-3 home loss to the UCLA Trojans and first-year head coach Bob Chesney.
Maryland fans, who had already begun to turn on Locksley before the season, were fully checked out by the end of the game, and they’re not alone.
Former Maryland Player Says It’s Time For Mike Locksley To Go
On Monday’s episode of NBC Sports’ “Fanta in 60,” a former Terrapins football player, who asked to remain anonymous but said he played under Locksley, made it clear that the program needs to part ways with the head coach.
And it wasn’t just about wins and losses.
“I played at Maryland under Locksley,” he began. “Two things can be true. One, Maryland is probably never going to win a Big 10 championship, never compete for a national championship. And I think that’s okay.
“But I also think it’s embarrassing that (athletic director) Jim Smith and Damon Evans before him let Lockley continue doing what he does year in and year out, being mediocre at best. I think the best he did was win the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.”
Then the tenor and topic of the conversation changed from Lockley’s football acumen to his treatment of players and those around him.
“…I don’t think he is a good person,” the former player added. “You see how he acted in New Mexico State* (*New Mexico). You talk to some players who have played under him. I don’t think he’s a good guy. There’s no reason to keep him around.”
That’s a pretty damning indictment. On top of that, Locksley is now 2-17 in his last Big 10 games. Together, it’s hard to imagine why Maryland continues to keep him around. Although that may not be the case much longer.