Mike Locksley to return as Maryland coach in 2026, Terps AD eyes NIL boost

In the midst of a disappointing second straight season, Mike Locksley has received support from his boss. Maryland athletic director Jim Smith confirmed to John Talty of CBS Sports that Locksley will return for the 2026 season — his eighth in College Park — and also get more resources.

“To continue to build on this foundation, Coach Locksley needs – and deserves – the full support of our department, our university and all of Terp Nation,” Smith wrote in a letter to the Maryland community. “We are fully committed to giving him and our student-athletes the resources and investments necessary to succeed. I have worked closely with Coach Locksley to quickly strengthen our NIL support for 2026 and beyond, with a clear and focused effort on roster retention, recruiting and being highly competitive in the transfer portal.

The comments came after the Terrapins lost, 24-6, to Illinois. Maryland has now lost six straight games after a 4-0 start and, at 4-6 (1-6 Big Ten), must win to secure bowl eligibility.

Locksley, 55, is 37-47 overall during his time at Maryland, including a 1-5 mark as interim coach in 2015. He then spent three seasons at Alabama, eventually becoming offensive coordinator and Broyles Award winner, before Maryland recruited him.

After going 3-9 in 2019 and going 2-3 in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, the Terrapins broke out with a 7-6 campaign in 2021. This included a victory in the Pinstripe Bowl, the program’s first victory since the 2010 season. The Terrapins continued their rise, posting back-to-back 8–5 seasons in 2022 and 2023, both seasons ending with bowl victories; it was the first time in program history that Maryland won a bowl game in three consecutive seasons.

But the Terrapins struggled to a 4-8 season in 2024 that included a 1-8 conference mark, and that season was derailed as well; After three close losses to begin this skid, Maryland lost its last three games by a total of 78 points. Only Wisconsin and Purdue scored fewer points in Big Ten play.

Locksley, a Washington, D.C. native, has made significant progress on the recruiting trail, however. Maryland had 247Sports’ 25th-ranked recruiting class of 2025. That group included six four-star recruits, including quarterback Malik Washington, who threw 13 touchdowns and ran for four more as a true freshman. The 2026 class is currently 72nd in the country, but includes five-star defender Zion Elee.

“I am confident we have the right foundation in place, the enhanced resources that position us to compete at a higher level in 2026 and a coach who can truly own the DMV,” Smith wrote in his letter.

The Terrapins haven’t had as much luck in the transfer portal, where they were the 87th class in 2024 and the 34th class in 2025. Locksley lost 32 players to transfer after last season.

Smith’s support is important, however, especially since he only arrived in May 2025 and has aims to make the Terrpins a football power.

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John Talty

“If we’re good with a three-year plan, which is what I’m working with, then I think we’ll be in the top tier of the Big Ten within three years in football,” Smith told John Talty of CBS Sports a little more than two weeks ago.

The Terrapins close out this season against No. 18 Michigan and Michigan State.