Maryland moves on from Mike Locksley after 2-5 start, names Abdul-Rahim interim coach

Maryland has ended the Mike Locksley era in the middle of his eighth season. The school made the change official Wednesday, during the bye week, with the Terrapins at 2-5 and riding a 12-game losing streak in Big Ten play, ESPN reported. Longtime assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will coach the rest of the season while the school runs a national search.

Maryland Athletics called it a mutual decision. Athletic director Jim Smith said that after talks with Locksley, both sides agreed a change was best for the coach and the program. Smith also said he and university president Darryll J. Pines are committed to giving the program the money and facilities it needs to compete. Locksley's own statement thanked the players, staff and alumni. "Maryland football and this community mean a great deal to me," he said, according to ESPN.

The decision is expensive. On3 reports Maryland owes Locksley $9.94 million, which is 65 percent of what remained on his deal. Half of that, $4.97 million, is due in a lump sum within 60 days, and the rest is paid in installments through the end of the contract. The buyout has no offset or mitigation clause, so Maryland pays the full amount even if Locksley takes another job. The figure would have fallen to $8.9 million after the season. Maryland chose to keep Locksley last November after back-to-back 4-8 finishes, and the buyout was part of that decision.

Locksley leaves with a 39-54 record in College Park, according to ESPN, and he went 10-21 from the start of 2024 onward. His best years came from 2021 to 2023, when Maryland had three straight winning seasons and won three bowl games. This year the decline sped up. Maryland's last win over a Power Four opponent came against Wisconsin in September 2025. The players were told Wednesday morning, Yahoo Sports reported via The Sporting News, which noted that Abdul-Rahim, like Locksley, has deep roots in the D.C. area.

What it means for Illinois on Oct. 31

Abdul-Rahim gets an extra week to prepare before his first game, at home against Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 31 (FS1). He takes over a team whose numbers have collapsed. After routing Hampton 62-0 and winning 38-14 at UConn, Maryland has lost five straight and been outscored 219-98 in that run. The defense gave up at least 35 points in all five games, including a 54-3 home loss to UCLA and a 48-23 defeat at Nebraska. The offense has shown some life recently. Maryland scored 26 against Virginia Tech and 30 against Rutgers, but the 37-30 homecoming loss to the Scarlet Knights left the Terps 0-4 in the Big Ten.

Our board has no prices yet for Maryland vs. Illinois. Rutgers, the team that handed Maryland that last loss, is 2-4 and plays at No. 24 Northwestern on Saturday. Northwestern is a heavy favorite on the game page: -700 on the moneyline at Novig, with Rutgers at +614 there and +650 at Polymarket, the best price on the board. Novig has the spread at 16.5, while BetMGM lists 16. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline ranges from 3.0 to 6.3 percent across 11 venues.

For Maryland, the next three weeks are about getting through the rest of the season. The bigger question is whether Smith's promise of more investment can attract a coach who can turn this around.