Who Is Maryland’s New Football Interim Head Coach?

By Sebastian Obando

After announcing the firing of Randy Edsall on Sunday, the Maryland Terrapins appointed offensive coordinator Mike Locksley as interim head coach.

Locksley, born and raised in the Washington D.C. area, will receive his second stint as a head coach next Saturday, October 24, when the Terps host Penn State. The Terps have dropped three straight games, and Locksley will be looking to immediately rejuvenate a squad that direly needs a change of fortune to improve on a disappointing 2-4 record on the year.

“I had an opportunity to address the team, the big thing is obviously change is tough,” Locksley said regarding the departure of Edsall. “There’s two things we can do, we can dwell on it or move forward. As a team and as a program, we made the decision to move forward.”

Maryland interim head coach Mike Locksley. (Courtesy of UMTerps.com)

Before becoming offensive coordinator at Maryland in 2012, Locksley served as head coach for New Mexico, where poor performances were the norm. His team accumulated a 2-26 record over three seasons, and he was eventually fired four games into 2011. Moreover, a sideline altercation with an assistant led to a one game suspension.

Nonetheless, Locksley provides upside for the offense. Although the quarterbacks have struggled this season, Locksley helped ex-Maryland quarterback CJ Brown set the Maryland career record with 58 total-offense touchdowns last year. In addition, the Terps in 2013 surpassed 5,000 yards of total offense for the fourth time in school history.

Along with his coaching abilities, Locksley has made a name for himself by bringing in high quality players. He played a role in the recruitment of both wide receiver Stefan Diggs and offensive tackle Damian Prince to College Park.

“Mike and I go back a long way,” Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson said. “If there is any time for Mike to take over the program and help us move in a positive direction, now is the time.”

Locksley, who is the first African-American head coach in Terp history, already made his first major decision this past Sunday, naming Perry Hills his starting quarterback.