USA Today lists Mike Locksley near the bottom of Big Ten in latest 2025 rankings
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Maryland head coach Mike Locksley enters the 2025 campaign in desperate need of a solid season on the football field. Through his first seven years, he's amassed an overall record of just 33-41 in College Park, capped off by a brutal 4-8 season last year.
In order to get back on track in 2025, the Terps will need to navigate a tricky schedule that includes matchups road matchups at Wisconsin, UCLA, and Illinois, along with home games against Nebraska, Indiana, and Michigan.
Earlier this week, USA Today released it's Big Ten college football head coach rankings ahead of the 2025 season, and Locksley was listed near the bottom at No. 16. Here's what they had to say about Locksley's place on the list:
16. Mike Locksley, Maryland
Last season’s 4-8 finish was a major step back after Maryland had made three bowl games in a row. The Terrapins beat only two Power Four opponents and lost seven of eight Big Ten games by at least 14 points. As with a few other names in the bottom third of our rankings, Locksley heads into the 2025 season needing a rebound to bolster his lagging job security.
The bottom line is that the clock is ticking for Locksley in College Park. He's done relatively well on the recruiting trail and there's enough talent on the roster to get to 7 or 8 wins. But falling short of that mark could ultimately lead to Maryland going in a different direction moving forward. With Locksley being viewed as one of the worst coaches in the conference, a strong showing in 2025 is a must.
Here's a look at the entire list from USA Today:
- Ryan Day, Ohio State
- James Franklin, Penn State
- Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
- Dan Lanning, Oregon
- Matt Rhule, Nebraska
- Curt Cignetti, Indiana
- P.J. Fleck, Minnesota
- Bret Bielema, Illinois
- Lincoln Riley, USC
- Greg Schiano, Rutgers
- Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
- Jonathan Smith, Michigan State
- Barry Odom, Purdue
- Sherrone Moore, Michigan
- Jedd Fisch, Washington
- Mike Locksley, Maryland
- DeShaun Foster, UCLA
- Davis Braun, Northwestern
- Enjoy more Maryland coverage on Maryland Terrapins On SI -
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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