Maryland football head coach Mike Locksley announced that cornerback Dontay Joyner won’t be returning for the 2026 season after months of speculation.
“He’s been through quite a bit here, and this summer really was not a good thing for him, not a good thing for us,” Locksley said in a press conference Wednesday.
The defensive back’s departure comes after an arrest in June. According to documents obtained by the Baltimore Sun, Joyner sent an array of texts and calls harassing his then-girlfriend, including messages threatening to shoot her. Joyner was jailed for 27 days before his guilty plea and was sentenced to time served in addition to three years of supervised probation.
Locksley said that he and Joyner “decided mutually” to part ways, stating that the cornerback deserved a second chance at a different program.
“We’re helping him find a place to go play. He’s a guy that deserves another chance,” Locksley said. “We just felt like, because of what he went through here in the state of Maryland, he probably needs a fresh start.”
This decision serves as a blow to Maryland’s secondary, which loses one of its top performers from 2025. Joyner recorded eight pass breakups and two interceptions on his way to honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season.
“It’s a huge loss,” linebacker Daniel Wingate told The Diamondback. “But we have guys that are ready to step up, and it’s the next man up mentality.”
