Michael Locksley is out as Maryland football coach following a 5-game losing streak

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Michael Locksley is out at Maryland in the first big move of the new college football coaching cycle.

The university announced Locksley’s exit Wednesday, four days after the Terrapins lost at home to Rutgers for their fifth straight defeat. Maryland fired defensive coordinator Ted Monachino on Sunday, which seemed to indicate the school was keeping Locksley for the time being. But now the Terrapins — who have an open date this week — are making an even more significant change.

“Following thoughtful conversations with Coach Locksley, we agreed that a coaching change was in the best interest of Coach Locksley and the Maryland football program,” athletic director Jim Smith said in a statement. “On behalf of the University of Maryland, I want to thank Michael for his dedication to our football program and the genuine care he showed our student-athletes. Michael represented Maryland with pride, strengthened our connection throughout the state and the region, and made a lasting impact on the young men he coached."

Co-defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim takes over as interim coach.

Locksley was seven games into his eighth season at the helm. He led the Terps to three straight bowl victories — a first for the program — from 2021-23, but since then Maryland is 10-21 in two-plus seasons. Locksley already was under pressure to reverse that decline. Then he dropped back-to-back home games to teams with first-year coaches — Virginia Tech and UCLA — before falling to Nebraska and Ohio State on the road.

On Saturday, Maryland hosted the Scarlet Knights for homecoming — with plenty of empty seats — and blew a 10-point halftime lead in a 37-30 loss. It was Rutgers' first win of the season over a Football Bowl Subdivision team.

“Maryland football and this community mean a great deal to me,” Locksley said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this program for so many years, and for the relationships I have built with our players, staff, alumni and supporters. I am proud of the work we have done together and remain deeply invested in the success and well-being of the young men in this program. They deserve our continued support."

Locksley went 38-49 at Maryland and just 16-47 in Big Ten play — not counting a short stint as interim coach in 2015. The Terps had a 20-game winning streak against nonconference opponents snapped when they lost to Virginia Tech.

Maryland hired Locksley in December 2018, about a month after coach DJ Durkin was fired in the aftermath of offensive lineman Jordan McNair's death of heatstroke during an offseason workout.

In his second game, Locksley’s Terps beat a ranked Syracuse team 63-20. Then they finished 3-9. That’s been the pattern for Maryland – showing promise early in the season but falling flat against Big Ten opposition.

Locksley, who was Alabama’s offensive coordinator before coming to Maryland, began turning the Terrapins around after quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa made the same move from the Crimson Tide to the Terps. Tagovailoa put up big passing numbers, and Maryland had three straight winning seasons.

The Terps never did much to threaten the truly elite teams in the league, though, and once Tagovailoa’s stint was done, Maryland went 1-8 in league play in back-to-back seasons.

Locksley, who is from the District of Columbia area, was able to land local quarterback Malik Washington, who showed plenty of promise as a freshman last season. But that didn’t translate to many wins, and the team’s lack of progress early this season means another coach will work with Washington at Maryland — if the Terps can keep him.

Locksley’s replacement will be the first major hire for Smith, who took over as AD last year. Any Big Ten opening is a significant opportunity, but Maryland's football program struggles to earn attention in an area that has little passion for college football — and at a school that's been more successful in sports like basketball, lacrosse and field hockey.

The arrival of players like Washington and edge rusher Zion Elee suggests the Terps can attract top local talent, but competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference was often an uphill climb for Maryland, and the move to the Big Ten before the 2014 season didn't make things any easier.

“Maryland is a world-class university with a proud football tradition, an outstanding location, a passionate fan base and tremendous potential,” Smith said. “Our expectation is to build a program that competes for championships and makes our students, alumni and supporters proud. We understand the responsibility that comes with leading Maryland Football, and we are committed to finding the right person to guide the Terrapins into the future.”

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