Michael Locksley will remain the head coach of Maryland football next season, according to Pete Thamel.

NEWS: University of Maryland coach Mike Locksley will continue as head coach in 2026, and the school plans to significantly increase financial support to the program, athletic director Jim Smith told ESPN. https://t.co/47e91FFMjS

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 16, 2025

Maryland Athletic Director Jim Smith followed that report with a letter of support of his head coach and confirmed that Locksley will return for an eighth season as head coach in 2026.

“Coach Locksley bleeds Maryland, has deep and unmatched ties to the DMV, and he has led this program to success unprecedented in our 133-year football history — including three consecutive bowl victories — with three straight winning seasons from 2021-23. Those accomplishments demonstrate what this program is capable of when aligned and supported,” Smith said in his letter.

Smith also revealed plans to increase the football program’s financial capacity in recruiting and retaining players for Locksley and the program in the midst of the changing dynamics of college athletics with Name, Image and Likeness.

The Terps are in danger of failing to reach a bowl game for the second consecutive season if they lose either of their final two games. Maryland will face Michigan and Michigan State over the next two weeks.

“The big thing is that we got to deal with the terrain. Terrain is where we are, where we are today. We’ve got two games left, and we got to win both of them,” Locksley said after Maryland’s 24-6 loss at Illinois. “We’ll have plenty of time at the end of the season to evaluate everything as a whole.”

The Terps had reached and won three consecutive bowl games from 2021 to 2023. Bowl wins have been the biggest milestones on the field in Locksley’s tenure thus far.

Last season, the Terps went 4-8. If Maryland drops its final two games, it will be a second consecutive four-win season and an eight-game losing streak.

“But in the two short years since that run, the entire environment of college athletics has transformed. To continue building on this foundation,” Smith said in his letter. “We are fully committed to giving him and our student-athletes the resources and investments necessary to succeed. I have worked closely with Coach Locksley to rapidly strengthen our NIL support for 2026 and beyond, with a clear and focused effort on roster retention, recruiting, and being highly competitive in the transfer portal.”

Over the past two seasons, the Terps are 2-14 in Big Ten play. Under Locksley, the Terps have an 18-52 record against conference opponents. Maryland’s overall record under Locksley is 41-53.

Locksley signed a contract in 2023 that would keep him as Maryland’s head coach through the 2027 season.