The Maryland Terrapins are coming off a tough season when it comes to their coaching staff and definitely needed a good call to turn their program around beginning next season. It seems as if they made that good call on Tuesday night, announcing that Mike Locksley will be their new head coach. Locksley has been the offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and will remain in that position as the Tide enter the College Football Playoffs. He recently won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach, assisting Nick Saban to another No. 1 ranking in the polls and the SEC Championship.
The 48-year-old has spent the past two seasons with Alabama, but just one season as their offensive coordinator, leading Tua Tagovailoa to his high level of play. He helped the Tide offense as a whole rank second nationally in scoring offense at 47.9 points per game. They also broke school records with 623 points scored, 6,859 total yards, 4,231 passing yards, and 77 offensive touchdowns.
Locksley agreed to a multiyear contract which will give him an average of $2.5 million annually. This will be his third stint with the Terrapins, as he oversaw their running backs from 1997 to 2002, and then worked as their offensive coordinator from 2012 to 2015. After Randy Edsall was fired as their head coach in 2015, Locksley was their interim head coach for six games, going 1-5 in that span. His other head coaching gig was with New Mexico from 2009 to 2011, where he went 1-15 in three seasons.
The new Maryland coach does have a sketchy past from his days in New Mexico, as he was suspended one game for punching one of his assistant coaches in 2009. He was also sued for harassment by a former administrative assistant. He has since resolved all legal issues.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban calls Locksley one of the best recruiters in the country, which had to play a major role in Maryland deciding to go with him. Their interim head coach Matt Canada and Michigan quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton were the other finalists for the job. Canada went 5-7 for Maryland this past season, but the program made the right move by completing moving on from this past season.
The 48-year-old has spent the past two seasons with Alabama, but just one season as their offensive coordinator, leading Tua Tagovailoa to his high level of play. He helped the Tide offense as a whole rank second nationally in scoring offense at 47.9 points per game. They also broke school records with 623 points scored, 6,859 total yards, 4,231 passing yards, and 77 offensive touchdowns.
Locksley agreed to a multiyear contract which will give him an average of $2.5 million annually. This will be his third stint with the Terrapins, as he oversaw their running backs from 1997 to 2002, and then worked as their offensive coordinator from 2012 to 2015. After Randy Edsall was fired as their head coach in 2015, Locksley was their interim head coach for six games, going 1-5 in that span. His other head coaching gig was with New Mexico from 2009 to 2011, where he went 1-15 in three seasons.
The new Maryland coach does have a sketchy past from his days in New Mexico, as he was suspended one game for punching one of his assistant coaches in 2009. He was also sued for harassment by a former administrative assistant. He has since resolved all legal issues.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban calls Locksley one of the best recruiters in the country, which had to play a major role in Maryland deciding to go with him. Their interim head coach Matt Canada and Michigan quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton were the other finalists for the job. Canada went 5-7 for Maryland this past season, but the program made the right move by completing moving on from this past season.
