First College Football Head Coach Fired in 2026 After 2-5 Start

Maryland made the move during its open week, four days after a homecoming collapse against Rutgers and three days after Locksley fired defensive coordinator Ted Monachino.

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Maryland has fired head coach Mike Locksley in the middle of his eighth season, ending a tenure that produced three straight bowl wins before collapsing into a 13-game losing streak against power-conference opponents.

The decision, first reported by On3’s Pete Nakos on Wednesday, came four days after Rutgers erased a 10-point halftime deficit for a 37-30 win at SECU Stadium, dropping the Terrapins to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play.

Mike Locksley’s record at Maryland

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Locksley went 38-49 after taking over as head coach in 2019, arriving from Nick Saban’s Alabama staff to lead a program still recovering from offensive lineman Jordan McNair’s death and the firing of DJ Durkin.

His best stretch came from 2021 to 2023, when Maryland won bowl games in three straight seasons for the first time in school history. However, the Terrapins went 4-8 in both 2024 and 2025 with 1-8 finishes in conference play.

The 2026 season started 2-0 before five consecutive losses, and the defense allowed 43.8 points per game during that skid. After a 54-3 home loss to UCLA on Sept. 26, Locksley said, “I still have a lot of confidence in myself and the staff to get this thing fixed.”

Maryland lost three more games after that, and it was outscored 92-13 after halftime across its four Big Ten games.

Why did Maryland move on now?

BREAKING: Maryland head football coach Mike Locksley has been fired, @PeteNakos reports. https://t.co/Ttem7ilnTS pic.twitter.com/JmnyBNS01W

— On3 (@On3) October 21, 2026

Athletic director Jim Smith arrived in May 2025 and inherited Locksley, then chose to keep him last November after a second straight 4-8 season while promising more financial support for the roster.

Following the UCLA loss, Smith said he and Locksley were “aligned on the work in front of us,” and an athletic department spokesperson said it would be his final public comment on the coach’s status.

Locksley tried to change course on Oct. 18, firing defensive coordinator Ted Monachino and handing the defense to cornerbacks coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, with inside linebackers coach Zac Spavital named co-defensive coordinator.

“As I evaluate our program, I believe this change is necessary,” Locksley said in a statement.

Maryland made the head coaching change three days later during its open week rather than wait until the end of the season.

Locksley buyout and Maryland’s next step

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Locksley was earning $6.4 million this season under a contract that ran through 2028, and his buyout carries no offset requirement if he lands another job.

The buyout totals $9.94 million, according to that report. Maryland must pay $4.97 million within 60 days and spread the remainder across equal installments through 2028.

The Terrapins have five games left, starting when Illinois visits SECU Stadium on Oct. 31.

Whoever Smith hires next will take over a department that was the lowest earner in the Big Ten last year and that Smith estimated in April sits $50 million to $60 million behind the middle of the conference.