With a lengthy list of connections and more than 30 years of college coaching experience, expect to see the 2018 Broyles Award winner back on a sideline sooner than later

Oct 21, 2026 at 3:25 pm ET • 4 min read

The Mike Locksley era at Maryland is over after seven-plus seasons. As the Terrapins figure out where to go next, Locksley will do the same thing.

Locksley, 59, has a successful track record as an offensive coach, and he's proven himself on the recruiting trail as well. Between that and his countless connections to coaches on other staffs, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Locksley wind up at another program sooner rather than later.

Since he began as a defensive backs coach at Towson State in 1992, Locksley has been a fixture on college football sidelines. He's spent time on staffs all around the country, and he's coached at the highest levels of the sport. In 2017, Locksley won a national championship as the co-offensive coordinator at Alabama.

Locksley also orchestrated an explosive offense as the sole offensive coordinator with the Crimson Tide in 2018, and he put together some potent units in his multiple tenures at Maryland. If Locksley wants to keep coaching, there will be opportunities for him as teams look for an experience assistant who can provide some value on offense.

Successful history on offense

Locksley really made his way up the coahcing ladder as an assistant coach -- often working with running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. He got his first chance to be a coordinator in 2005, when Ron Zook hired him in that role at Illinois.

The first couple of years of Locksley's tenure weren't great, but he eventually oversaw a fairly drastic turnaround. In 2006, the Fighting Illini averaged a paltry 19.6 points per game. The next season, that number jumped to 27.8 points as Rashard Mendenhall emerged as a superstar at running back. Illinois was even better on offense in 2008 at 28.7 points per game.

After his brief coaching tenure at New Mexico ended, Locksley returned to Maryland as an offensive coordinator and put up solid numbers with future NFL stars like Stefon Diggs and D.J. Moore on the roster. However, Locksley's career really hit another level after accepting an offensive analyst position at Alabama in 2016.

When Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian departed Alabama the following year, Locksley assumed co-offensive coordinator duties alongside Brian Daboll. With Daboll off to the NFL in 2018, Locksley took on the role of primary offensive coordinator. The Crimson Tide's results under Locksley were eye-popping despite year-to-year shifts.

PPG

37.1 (15th)

45.6 (3rd)

Yards per game

444.1 (29th)

522.0 (6th)

Pass yards per game

193.4 (91st)

323.6 (6th)

Rush yards per game

250.6 (13th)

198.4 (42nd)

Locksley took the Maryland job after the 2018 season and coached up some talented groups in College Park. With Taulia Tagovailoa as quarterback from 2021-23, the Terps averaged just a tick below 30 points per game each year.

So, if a team is in need of an offensive-minded coach with more than three decades of experience, Locksley would be an excellent fit.

Locksley's limitless connections

When a coach has been in the game as long as Locksley has the Rolodex is bursting at the seams with phone numbers of prominent coaches.

Just take Locksley's time at Alabama as an example. That came at a time when Nick Saban's School for Wayward Coaches was in full effect, and coaches would land in Tuscaloosa to revamp their image and get better jobs. It's what Locksley did, like so many others, including Steve Sarkisian.

Locksley and Sarkisian were offensive analysts at Alabama in 2016, and the former might owe the latter for a better role in 2017 because that's when Sarkisian left to be the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons. Not only does Locksley have familiarity with Sarkisian, but Texas special teams coach Jeff Banks worked in that role at Alabama in 2018.

Going down the long -- but certainly not complete -- list of coaches Locksley has worked with, it makes you wonder where he could wind up next.

Locksley could be of interest to all those coaches based on their familiarity and his acumen as an offensive assistant, but there is one more key factor that could play a big role in where the former Maryland coach goes next.

The Malik Washington question

One of the biggest recruiting wins of Locksley's second stint with Maryland was landing Malik Washington, a four-star prospect and the No. 54 overall player in the 2025 signing class, per 247Sports.

Not to be a downer for Maryland fans, but in the modern college football landscape, it's fair to wonder whether Washington might follow Locksley to his next destination. Other quarterbacks have followed former coaches before, although in most high-profile cases, it happens when that coach gets a bigger job.

That said, Locksley and Washington have clearly made a connection. Although Washington has struggled this fall, just like everyone else at Maryland, he still has the talent to be a game-changer at the most important position on the field. Regardless of whether he follows Locksley, Washington will be a target for other programs due to the coaching change.

Would Locksley's relationship with Washington be an added incentive for a quarterback-needy team to hire him? Don't forget Locksley also signed other blue-chip Terrapins like five-star EDGE Zion Elee and four-star running back DeJuan Williams.