The first major college football coach has been fired in this season.
Mike Locksley is out at Maryland in what is being described as a mutual parting of ways, USA TODAY Sports has learned from a person with knowledge of the situation. The person requested anonymity due to the move not being publicly announced.
The eighth-year coach's last game was a 37-30 loss to Rutgers on Oct. 17. That defeat, the team's fifth in a row, dropped Maryland to 2-5 and 0-4 in the Big Ten heading into its bye week.
Locksley's tenure at Maryland ends with a 39–54 record that includes six games as an interim coach in 2015 and his hiring full time before the 2019. He compiled 17-52 mark in the Big Ten, along with three bowl game victories.
to replace Mike Locksley at Maryland
Maryland had three consecutive winning seasons from 2021-23, including eight wins in 2022 and 2023.
But prior to this season, Locksley was under pressure after Maryland finished with back-to-back 4-8 campaigns, winning just one Big Ten game in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The Terrapins have lost 20 of its past 30 games, and it has been more than a year since it last won a Big Ten game.
Maryland suffered a 54-3 blowout home defeat to UCLA on Saturday, Sept. 26. It was the second consecutive home loss for Maryland after it fell to Virginia Tech in Week 3, giving the team two defeats before the end of September for the first time since 2019, Locksley first season in College Park.
Days after the disappointing loss to the Hokies on Sept. 19, Locksley had a tense exchange with a reporter when he was asked about the team's consistent shortcomings.
Maryland will now be on the search for another coach that can try to make the Terrapins a contender in the Big Ten. It hasn't finished the season with a winning conference record since it joined the league in 2014. It last had a winning conference record in 2010 as a member of the ACC.
Mike Locksley Maryland contract buyout
Locksley's buyout at Maryland is approximately $9.6 million after his parting with two more years left on his contract, according to a copy of his contract obtained via USA TODAY Sports.
The Maryland coach was making $6.4 million in compensation this season, with pay split between $600,000 in base pay and $5.8 million in supplemental compensation. Lockley was due to be paid $6.7 million for 2027 and $7 million for 2028 as part of his contract that expires through Dec. 31, 2028.
The school owes 65% of the remaining balance to Locksley.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maryland fires Mike Locksley in first coaching departure of 2026 season
