By Joshua Herr
Maryland athletics announced last week that it was moving on from eight-year head coach and Maryland football figurehead Michael Locksley.
In a statement, athletic director Jim Smith expressed gratitude for Locksley’s contributions to the program, including his deep commitment to building thoughtful connections with his players.
A new chapter in Maryland has just opened and the hard work is about to begin.
“Maryland is a world-class university with a proud football tradition, an outstanding location, a passionate fan base, and tremendous potential,” Smith added in his statement.
Smith spoke to the media on Tuesday and promoted the attractiveness of the Maryland job.
“Maryland is an incredibly attractive job,” Smith said. “The volume of inbound calls and texts have been enormous. There’s not an agency that represents coaches that hasn’t already reached out with a possible candidate.”
He asserted that Maryland will get a good coach.
“Specifically to our fans, we will get a really good coach. We are committed to compete at the absolute highest level, and we’re going to find the resources to be able to do so,” Smith said.
However, he wouldn’t name a defined timeline.
“I think in today’s college athletics, you’re going to talk to many different candidates and that’s actually going to dictate the timeline,” Smith said. “We’re going to move with urgency, but we won’t have an artificial deadline.”
Smith has laid out his goals, but now he needs to put it into action.
“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,” Smith said.
With these lofty goals in mind, few will fit the bill. Here are some candidates who may be on the radar:
Charles Huff:
Reigning from Denton, Charles Huff has succeeded at three different group-of-six schools and now leads the Memphis program.
He’s familiar with the program. In 2009, he served as the Terps’ assistant offensive line coach.
In 2022, Huff coached a Marshall team that upset the No. 8-ranked Notre Dame in the program’s second all-time victory over a top-10 opponent.
He has worked under renowned coaches like James Franklin at Penn State and Nick Saban at Alabama.
He is in his third coaching job in three years and in the first year of a five-year contract as head coach at Memphis.
Jake Dickert:
In his second year coaching Wake Forest, Jake Dickert’s team is ranked No. 14 in the country as of Oct. 27.
With an impressive 15-5 record with the Demon Deacons, he previously found success at Washington State, appearing in three bowl games over four seasons.
He brings a unique program-builder skill set, not limiting his recruiting to a single region.
Jason Eck:
After nearly 30 years in coaching, Jason Eck took his first head coaching job with Idaho in 2022 and was named head coach of New Mexico before the 2025 season.
Eck overhauled the roster. The Lobos improved drastically, posting a 9-4 record and playing in the Rate Bowl, where they lost to Minnesota.
In his short head-coaching career, he holds an outstanding 41-18 record.
Billy Napier:
James Madison’s current head coach, Billy Napier, has power-four experience, including four years as head coach of the Florida Gators.
Much of his success came in the Sun Belt Conference, with his first head-coaching role at Louisiana being a huge success. He led them to three straight 10-plus-win seasons and four bowl appearances, including three wins.
His time in the swamps of Gainesville had a mixed record, to say the least. Revamping the program’s internal structure came at the cost of on-field success.
He departed after a 3-4 start in 2025. However, he has rejuvenated his career out in Harrisonburg.
Dan Mullen:
In mid-October 2015, Maryland fired head coach Randy Edsall after five seasons. Dan Mullen’s name was also floated as a replacement in that conversation.
He has built friendly offensive structures that let quarterbacks thrive, including as offensive coordinator for Tim Tebow at Florida and as head coach for Dak Prescott at Mississippi State.
Currently, he’s UNLV’s head coach. In his first year with the Rebels, his team went 10-4 and made a bowl appearance.
When asked about his job status during his weekly press conference on Monday, he stated, “As long as I get the support of the university and the administration and I get support of our boosters and the support of the fan base, I really enjoy being the coach here.”
Lance Taylor:
Do you remember earlier this season when Western Michigan was one second away from beating Michigan on the road?
Taylor is the head coach of that feisty MAC team that almost shocked the football world.
Last year, Western Michigan posted an impressive 10-4 record, including seven conference wins, finished at the top, and beat Kennesaw State in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Taylor was named the 2025 MAC Coach of the Year for his team’s performance and signed an extension to remain the head coach through the 2030 season.
Brian Kelly:
With experience coaching national powerhouses, this former Notre Dame and LSU head coach brings the most prestigious track record.
He won AP Coach of the Year twice with Notre Dame and led the Fighting Irish to a No. 3 finish in 2018 and a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance, where they lost 30-3 to Clemson.
At LSU, the team posted three bowl wins, but a slow start in 2025 cost him his job.
He is currently spending the 2026 season as a CBS Sports analyst covering college football.
The process is expected to be extremely confidential.
“President Darryll J. Pines and I are fully aligned in our commitment to providing the
investment, infrastructure, and resources required for Maryland Football to succeed,” Smith said in his statement.
Terps fans will have to wait and see who becomes the next face of Maryland football.
But they can definitely count on one thing: a burning desire for a brighter future in College Park has been ignited.
