# Maryland and Mike Locksley part ways after 2-5 start; Abdul-Rahim named interim coach The school calls it a mutual decision, while other outlets report a firing, four days after a home loss to Rutgers. By The Signal Edition | Sports / College Football Published: 2026-10-21T18:33:52Z Updated: 2026-10-21T18:33:52Z Canonical: https://www.thesignaledition.com/article/maryland-locksley-parts-ways-abdul-rahim-interim-s7qtb3 Image: https://www.thesignaledition.com/media/6315b96e75f627b637855ef782371c8d.jpg (File photo of Mike Locksley, Maryland head football coach, taken in July 2025; credit: Bobak Ha'Eri / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0) ## Summary - Maryland Athletics announced Oct. 21 that it and Mike Locksley agreed to part ways, calling it a mutual decision. - Defensive coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim is interim head coach; his first game is Oct. 31 against Illinois, per CBS Sports. - Maryland is 2-5 and winless in the Big Ten this season after a 37-30 homecoming loss to Rutgers. - A national search begins immediately, athletic director Jim Smith said. ## What happened Maryland and head football coach Mike Locksley agreed to part ways on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, according to a Maryland Athletics announcement reported by Fox Baltimore. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim was named interim head coach. [1](https://foxbaltimore.com/sports/sports-unlimited/maryland-fires-head-coach-mike-locksley-ncaaf) The school framed the exit as mutual. The Associated Press, in a version carried by CBS Baltimore, quoted the release as saying Locksley is "stepping down." CBS Sports and On3, citing sources, reported that Maryland fired him. The announcement came four days after Maryland lost 37-30 to Rutgers at home, per CBS Baltimore. [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/mike-locksley-maryland-coach-fired/) [3](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mike-locksley-fired-maryland/) [4](https://www.on3.com/news/maryland-terrapins-football-fire-head-coach-mike-locksley/) Athletic director Jim Smith said the two sides agreed a coaching change was in the best interest of Locksley and the program, Fox Baltimore reported. He said a national search begins immediately and will be run with a high degree of confidentiality. Locksley said Maryland football and the community "mean a great deal" to him. [1](https://foxbaltimore.com/sports/sports-unlimited/maryland-fires-head-coach-mike-locksley-ncaaf) [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/mike-locksley-maryland-coach-fired/) ## The season so far Maryland is 2-5 and 0-4 in the Big Ten, per On3. The Rutgers game was a homecoming loss in which the Terrapins blew a 10-point halftime lead, according to the AP. CBS Baltimore reported it was Maryland's fifth straight defeat, with earlier home losses to Virginia Tech and UCLA and road losses to Nebraska and Ohio State. [4](https://www.on3.com/news/maryland-terrapins-football-fire-head-coach-mike-locksley/) [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/mike-locksley-maryland-coach-fired/) CBS Sports reported the 54-3 loss to UCLA was especially damaging. Maryland has a bye week this weekend, per Fox Baltimore. [3](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mike-locksley-fired-maryland/) [1](https://foxbaltimore.com/sports/sports-unlimited/maryland-fires-head-coach-mike-locksley-ncaaf) ## Abdul-Rahim steps in Abdul-Rahim, a Washington, D.C., native, has been co-defensive coordinator and associate head coach for defense since 2024, and previously coached at Maryland from 2016 to 2018, the AP reported. CBS Sports said his first game as interim coach is Oct. 31 against Illinois in College Park. [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/mike-locksley-maryland-coach-fired/) [3](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mike-locksley-fired-maryland/) ## Locksley's tenure and contract Locksley was hired in December 2018. Maryland won bowl games in 2021, 2022 and 2023, a first for the program, per the AP. The team went 4-8 in both 2024 and 2025, CBS Sports reported. Maryland retained him for 2026 last November, and Smith, who arrived in 2025, said then the school planned to increase financial support, per On3. [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/mike-locksley-maryland-coach-fired/) [3](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mike-locksley-fired-maryland/) [4](https://www.on3.com/news/maryland-terrapins-football-fire-head-coach-mike-locksley/) Reported career records differ. Fox Baltimore and CBS Sports put his Maryland mark at 39-54, Fox noting this includes a 2015 interim stint, while the AP gave 38-49. On3 reported Maryland owes him $9.94 million, half due in a lump sum within 60 days and the rest in installments through 2028. Neither Maryland nor Locksley has been quoted on terms, and Fox Baltimore's report did not mention a buyout. [1](https://foxbaltimore.com/sports/sports-unlimited/maryland-fires-head-coach-mike-locksley-ncaaf) [2](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/mike-locksley-maryland-coach-fired/) [3](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mike-locksley-fired-maryland/) [4](https://www.on3.com/news/maryland-terrapins-football-fire-head-coach-mike-locksley/) ## What is not known Maryland has named no candidates for the permanent job. None of the reports reviewed link any specific coach to the opening, and the school has said the search will be confidential. Whether the exit is formally a termination or a resignation, and what payments follow, has not been confirmed by the school. CBS Sports described Maryland as the first Power Four program to change head coaches this season. [1](https://foxbaltimore.com/sports/sports-unlimited/maryland-fires-head-coach-mike-locksley-ncaaf) [3](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mike-locksley-fired-maryland/) ## Reporting sources 1. [Fox Baltimore: Maryland, head coach Mike Locksley mutually agree to part ways](https://foxbaltimore.com/sports/sports-unlimited/maryland-fires-head-coach-mike-locksley-ncaaf) (2026-10-21) 2. [CBS Baltimore (Associated Press): Head coach Mike Locksley to depart Maryland after 2-5 start to season](https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/mike-locksley-maryland-coach-fired/) (2026-10-21) 3. [CBS Sports: Maryland fires coach Mike Locksley as Terrapins become first Power Four opening](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mike-locksley-fired-maryland/) (2026-10-21) 4. [On3: Maryland fires head coach Mike Locksley after eight seasons](https://www.on3.com/news/maryland-terrapins-football-fire-head-coach-mike-locksley/) (2026-10-21)