“When You Put The Type Of Money Into...” Maryland Coach Shares Thoughts On The State Of College Football
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James Franklin won nearly 70 percent of his games at Penn State, yet he still lost his job. Brian Kelly did the same at LSU and got the same treatment. Twelve major coaching jobs sit open before the year's end, making veteran coaches like Michael Locksley concerned about the state of the game and how volatile it is becoming day after day.
Maryland Coach Michael Locksley Shares Thoughts On The Shifting Climate Of College Football
“I’d be lying if I told you, as a coach, you don’t know the landscape,” Locksley said during Tuesday's press conference at SECU Stadium, talking about the increasingly money-focused state of the Sport, “But this is not a surprise to any of us. When you put the type of money into college football the way it has been, the expectations will rise.”
Money makes a lot of decisions in the current College Football. Programs are ready to pay big sums just to make their old coaches stop coaching. Penn State owes Franklin $49 million to close his contract for good. In the same way, LSU owes $53.8 million to Kelly.
Locksley’s $6.1 million salary ranks 15th among 17 known Big Ten coaches. Lockley’s buyout was $13.4 million, which, despite being a massive amount of money, can be seen as “small” when compared to the salaries of other coaches of the conference. “It’s less,” said Maryland athletic director Jim Smith, “It’s still a lot of money.”
Locksley’s record stands at 36-39 in seven seasons at Maryland, including 16-38 in the Big Ten. When he took the reins of the team in 2019, it was utter chaos, but slowly and steadily, Locksley has steadied the program. Yet three narrow losses, to Washington, Nebraska, and UCLA, may threaten him with a similar fate to his colleagues, Kelly and Franklin.
Resources and Retention
Maryland welcomed 64 new players this year. Keeping them requires more than coaching. “It’s resources, and if we had the resources that we need…” the coach stopped, catching himself from finishing his statement.
Smith, in his first months as AD, is working on the resource needs of the team. “The resource part is absolutely a necessity to build a roster over time,” Smith said. “We are going to solve the resource problem. We’ve started to and feel good that we’re heading in the right direction.”
Locksley faces No. 2 Indiana on Saturday, a team that blew out Maryland 44-17 two years ago. The Terps are 0-10 after bye weeks under Locksley and 0-12 against top-10 opponents since 2019. Yet Smith sees progress. “You have to look at the whole body of work,” he said. “Are we going in the right direction? I think that will determine itself here at the end of the year.”
Locksley is walking a tightrope. In the modern College Football landscape, the salaries for staff have inflated exponentially, but it has also become equally volatile. If Locksley fails to provide more results, he may be the next on the chopping block.
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Rituraj Halder is a football junkie. He covers everything from clutch game-day moments to the stories that offer a glimpse into the locker room. Over the years, he’s written for outlets like Pro Sports and Football Network, Esports on Sports Illustrated, Sportskeeda, and EssentiallySports, carving out a voice that blends sharp analysis with genuine passion. Whether it’s breaking down a Big Ten rivalry, highlighting rising stars, or capturing the emotion that fuels the game, Rituraj writes football the way fans feel it: loud, proud, and all in.