Maryland Football Scoop: Latest rumblings on Mike Locksley, status of Terps' breakout recruiting class
Maryland football's season has reached a low point after the Terps' embarrassing 37-10 loss to Northwestern on Saturday. Their chances of going to a bowl game for the fourth season in a row have plummeted and fans are grumbling loudly. So where do things for the program, Mike Locksley and his recruiting class?
Maryland football's season has reached a low point after the Terps' embarrassing 37-10 loss to
Northwestern on Saturday. Their chances of going to a bowl game for the fourth season in a row have plummeted and fans are grumbling loudly. So where do things for the program,
Mike Locksley and his recruiting class?
I'm told that it's highly unlikely Locksley is going to be on the hot seat this season, even if things don't get better. That's always subject to change in these situations, but he's coming off the best three-year run for the program in 15 years, has most of his contract guaranteed through the 2028 season at about $6 million per year and carried the program from a dismal situation -- in the dark cloud of Jordan McNair's death off the field, with 18 wins in the previous four seasons on it -- despite limited funding and fan support.
Damon Evans, of course, isn't happy with how this season is going and the ugly nature in which it's gotten there, but he's connected to Locksley, whom he hired and whom he knows is dealing with some limitations. Maryland's NIL budget is said to be in the bottom two or three of the Big Ten, at around $3 million per year. It's not just the Ohio States and Michigans lapping the Terps' payroll; sources said
Indiana is paying players around $14 million this season.
Via Jared Kelly of our Indiana affiliate site:
"It's really good," Cignetti said. "It's a lot more than what I was promised."
While Cignetti did not disclose exact dollar amounts or what was initially promised to him when he was hired at IU last winter, Indiana's roster revamp and talent influx is an indication of the program's growing NIL resources.
The Hoosiers have added 29 transfers this offseason, including multiple players who were coveted by Power-4 teams in the offseason —
Ohio quarterback
Kurtis Rourke,
James Madison cornerback D'Angelo Ponds,
Kent State transfer defensive tackle CJ West, James Madison transfer receiver
Elijah Sarratt and more. And that's without accounting for the returns of leading receiver
Donaven McCulley and starting left tackle
Carter Smith, who each withdrew from the portal after receiving multiple Power-4 offers, and signing four-star freshman quarterback Tyler Cherry.
Although NIL is not the defining factor for every player, it is a large part of the recruiting equation in today's college football landscape. That the Hoosiers were able to restock their roster with, at least on paper, heightened talent and depth across most positions, it bodes well for the health of IU's current NIL capabilities.
That's not to say NIL is an excuse for all of the program's shortcomings. The team consistently starts slow and makes far too many mistakes, mental and physical. Locksley has acknowledged his struggles in trying to fix these issues. The losses after bye weeks are piling up. And their record has consistently deteriorated as fall turns to winter.
The program appears to be a couple of months away from one of those familiar heavy turnover springs we haven't seen in a few years thanks to the winning. But multiple units are struggling and unless things get better in the second half of the season, which features top-five ranked
Penn State and
Oregon, and a bunch of others likely to be favored over Maryland, you have to make moves to improve after that kind of season. Some coaches will be asked to move on, and some players will hit the portal. The staff is concerned that the rough season combined with a tidal wave of negativity from the fanbase will make some players decide to enter the portal.
Locksley will be handling the playcalling for the rest of the season. It wasn't a one-game experiment. Will offensive coordinator
Josh Gattis be back after essentially being demoted? Will he be wanted back? Seems farfetched. He's not the only one who could be looking around, as tends to happen after rough seasons. Locksley could continue to try to spread out defenses and establish more of a power run game to set up the pass, and target the tight ends more.
On social media, while the roar of fan dissatisfaction is growing louder, I'm told Locksley has maintained tunnel vision amid the noise and believes this team can still get to six wins and bowl eligibility. Of course, no one would blame you for doubting that's doable against that tough second-half schedule after Maryland's poor play in the first half. If they can't use last week's embarrassment and a big-name homecoming opponent to motivate themselves to a win over USC, the odds of salvaging the season become even more bleak, and they're bleak as is.
's no surprise fans are negative this season given how things have gone, but year-to-year apathy and negativity growing frustration with the lack of support from fans and alums the empty seats during that three-year stretch of improvement and the hailstorm of negativity online, which staffers believe is costing Maryland recruits and could cause players to enter the portal and seek happier pastures. It's a classic chicken-or-egg scenario: those inside the program say they need strong fan support to take the next step, while many fans, deflated from those big losses in big games, won't support until they see Maryland take down a big name or consistently play cleaner football against mid-level opponents.
The youth movement has already begun. The staff views the next wave of offensive linemen as the best to come through in a long time.
Terez Davis has played well as a true freshman and they believe he's a future first or second-round pick. They still have faith that those young defensive backs are going to be standouts, pointing to guys like
Deonte Banks who struggled early and then became NFL draft picks, but they're maturing by fire this season. Promising young players like Michael Harris,
Neeo Avery and
Daniel Wingate look like excellent building blocks on defense.
A few players from their talent-laden recruiting class should also help with depth. Quarterback Malik Washington, the ringleader of the class, is solidly committed and highly unlikely to change his mind. De-commitments happen annually so there's no guarantee the entire class will remain on board, but it sounds like they're laision rgely solid in their commitments. They committed to a visiting of building something special in the future. rather than current results.
There's also impressive young talent at linebacker and on the defensive line, though this year's D-line looked like Maryland's best in a while and hasn't played as well as expected. Veteran guys like Jordan Phillips,
Tommy Akingbesote and
Quashon Fuller have had their share of good moments, but they haven't formed the powerful defensive front they were expected to be. James Thomas' special teams unit, meanwhile, has been disastrous.
It sounds like Damon Evans will be investing more in football moving forward. Other than defensive coordinator
Brian Williams, who, as of last season, ranked 10th in the Big Ten and 35th nationally with a $475,000 salary, no Maryland assistant ranks higher than offensive coordinator Gattis, who ranks 93rd in salary nationally. Some staffers have impressed, but Evans is expected to invest more money to attract better coaches at other spots.
Locksley's biggest miscalculation this year was talking about the program being read to compete for championships. He was confident about his talent at the skill positions and the depth in the front seven, but seemingly underestimated the weaknesses of the offensive line and cornerbacks. Trying to fire up a fanbase still on Calling this a breakout year to a fanbase pleased with progress but frustrated by the above shortcomings has backfired. He'd undoubtedly take it back if he could. At this point, though, the only fix this season will be to somehow get three more wins or upset a giant, and keep the recruiting class intact.
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