Mike Locksley joins Big Ten Network weeks after Maryland firing, debuts before Purdue game

Less than three weeks after Maryland fired him, Mike Locksley has a new job covering the league he used to coach in. The former Terrapins coach is joining Big Ten Network as a studio analyst, according to On3, which cited reporting by Sports Business Journal's Matt Fortuna.

Locksley is scheduled to debut Friday on The B1G Show. On Saturday he'll appear on B1G Countdown to Kickoff, which leads into Maryland's game at Purdue. As Awful Announcing pointed out, that means his first Saturday on air includes previewing the program that let him go 17 days earlier. Southern Sports Today reported that he'll work weekends for the network through the Dec. 5 Big Ten Championship Game and could help with College Football Playoff coverage.

Maryland announced the split on Oct. 21, the day after a 37-30 home loss to Rutgers. Locksley was in his eighth season after returning as head coach in 2019. According to On3, the Terrapins had gone 2-16 in Big Ten play since the start of 2024, including an 0-4 start this fall. After he left, Locksley told ESPN's Heather Dinich that he doesn't expect to run a college program again. He said he's open to NFL jobs, coordinator roles and TV work. Talking about how he took the firing, he told ESPN, "I'm not mad about leaving." Awful Announcing noted that BTN's studio has become a common stop for coaches between jobs. Former Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi also joined the network this fall.

On the field, nothing has changed yet. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who had been co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach, took over as interim coach, the Baltimore Sun reported. His debut ended in a 20-17 loss to Illinois when Ethan Moczulski made a 26-yard field goal as time expired, according to the Washington Times. WMAR counted it as Maryland's sixth straight loss overall and its 13th in a row in conference play.

What it means for Saturday at Purdue

Maryland brings a 2-6 record to West Lafayette. Both wins came early, a 62-0 rout of Hampton and a 38-14 win at UConn. Since then the Terrapins have lost to Virginia Tech, UCLA, Nebraska, No. 5 Ohio State, Rutgers and Illinois. The losses have tightened lately. After being outscored 147-52 in three straight games against UCLA, Nebraska and Ohio State, Maryland has lost its last two by a combined 10 points. The defense is still the issue: it has allowed at least 35 points in five of the six losses. Purdue is coming home for homecoming on a two-game losing streak of its own, per On3.

Purdue is favored. On this site's board, which tracks 12 venues, Novig lists the Boilermakers at -203 on the moneyline and has Maryland at +199. The best Maryland price anywhere is +200 at DraftKings, so the venues barely differ on the outright. They differ more on the spread. Novig has Purdue -6.5 at +106, while Hard Rock Bet offers the shortest line on the Boilermakers, -5.5 at -115. The total sits at 56.5 on Novig, with the under at -102. FanDuel is a point higher at 57.5. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 3.7% to 6.8% across the field.

The game airs on BTN, so Locksley will help set up the broadcast before Maryland kicks off without him.