Maryland has parted ways with coach Mike Locksley during his eight season with the program. Locksley's tenure included, three bowl berths and an overall record of 39-54, with the last straw Saturday’s 37-30 loss at home to fellow Big Ten afterthought Rutgers.
While Locksley did have a nice run of postseason appearances from 2021-23, he was not able to capitalize on that success after the league expanded to 18 teams the following season and hit rock bottom with this year’s veteran team.
His replacement will have to maximize resources that currently lag behind the best of the Big Ten. Hiring a coach with a national reputation might free up more funding and the chance to build a stronger roster.
The opening will have significant draw for being in the
Big Ten. But there are also significant drawbacks, namely a spotty history of winning and a difficult rebuilding job.
Look for these coaches to lead the conversation:
Brian Kelly
The former Notre Dame and LSU coach with 200 wins in 22 seasons at the Bowl Subdivision level wants to get back into coaching but can’t afford to be picky. Maryland provides a soft landing, sort of: Kelly can get back into the Power Four and won’t face championship-or-bust expectations. Kelly also has a connection with prominent Maryland booster in Under Armour founder Kevin Plank, whose company sponsored Notre Dame. While the idea that Maryland would hire Kelly would’ve been laughed away even just two years ago, the Terrapins would be ecstatic to hire a coach with his résumé.
Charles Huff, Memphis
Memphis dropped to 5-2 with a loss at Tulane, but the Tigers still done pretty well in Huff’s first season, putting him on the map for lower-level Power Four openings. He’s also been a well-traveled coach who previously won consistently in short stints at Marshall and Southern Mississippi. Huff would be a solid fallback plan if Maryland is unable to hire an established Power Four coach. A bonus is Huff is a Maryland native and spent one season at the school as an assistant before stops at Penn State, Mississippi State and Alabama.
Lance Taylor, Western Michigan
Taylor has seen his reputation grow with Western Michigan’s MAC championship a year ago and this year’s controversial loss to Michigan. The former Stanford and Notre Dame running backs coach has steadily improved the Broncos’ record, from 4-8 in 2023 to 6-7 and a bowl game in 2024 to 10 wins last season and a 5-2 mark just past this year’s midway point. This shows a knack for rebuilding that could be sped up by the chance to dig into the transfer portal as part of the Power Four.
Zach Kittley, Florida Atlantic
Even more so than Taylor, Kittley has burst onto the national scene from anonymity in the past six years. From 2020-24, he was the offensive coordinator at Houston Baptist, Western Kentucky and Texas Tech before being hired by Florida Atlantic. After a four-win debut, this year’s team posted the best non-conference mark in program history at 3-1 and started 4-1 for the first time since 2000. While it could be one year too soon for Kittley, he’s put himself on the list for Power Four schools looking for an immediate spark on offense.
Mike Shanahan and Bryan Haines, Indiana
The Hoosiers’ two coordinators will be heavy targets for openings off the top tier of the Power Four. Both have played immense roles in the program’s explosive growth that fueled the school's unlikely national title run and 22-game win streak that ended against Ohio State: Shanahan has worked with Curt Cignetti to build Indiana’s explosive offense and Haines took home last year’s Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant with his success on defense. Either would be a home-run hire for the Terrapins. Unfortunately, both could likely do better.
Brian Hartline, South Florida
South Florida opened 4-0 in Hartline’s first year but has since dropped two in a row, putting him under some pressure to deliver a strong second half and take advantage of the hot start. Before being hired at USF, he was seen as one of the top position coaches in the country while tutoring Ohio State’s wide receivers. This would be a gamble of a hire for Maryland, which would be betting on his potential instead of proven results and would need to roll with a learning curve. For Hartline, delivering at Maryland would bring him one step closer to getting his dream job as Ryan Day’s replacement with the Buckeyes.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will replace Mike Locksley? The top candidates Maryland should consider
