Jim Smith looking to tackle his first test with Maryland football at a crossroads

Ahmed Ghafir
32 minutes ago
4 min read

The outside noise reached a new level this week with Maryland football’s slide extending to five games, dropping the program under .500 for the first time this season and 4-5 (1-5) in 2025. Add in Maryland’s losing streak to end the 2024 season, head coach Mike Locksley is just 8-13 (2-13) since Taulia Tagovailoa exhausted his eligibility.

While Maryland went to three consecutive bowl games for the first time since 2006-2008 – and winning all three to tie the program’s longest postseason win streak – the piling conference results have become a sore spot among the fanbase. The three consecutive losses following the first bye week magnified the noise each week before Maryland became the latest victim in Indiana’s path, falling 55-10 in the homecoming game despite coming off the bye week. But with bowl eligible still attainable and a winnable game on the horizon with a road trip vs. Rutgers this past weekend, that noise materialized into national chatter after falling 35-20 in what’s been a similar streak to the season prior.

Though bowl eligibility remains a possibility with two wins needed over the final three games, Maryland is only favored in one with ESPN’s matchup predictor giving them a 52.2% chance to secure a win. But for a program at risk of missing out on bowl eligibility for a second straight season in year six and seven under its head coach, the long-term outlook on the program remains the biggest question mark.

The difference between 2024 and 2025? Maryland’s young core is leading the charge in 2025, adding fuel to the conversation to emphasize roster retention in an offseason where both Penn State and Virginia Tech, two consistent regional foes for the program, are in the midst of a coaching search. Add in that Maryland has just eight departing seniors with five-star Zion Elee, the program’s highest-rated recruit, set to arrive in January. The other side is where would Maryland stack up in a job market that includes Florida, LSU, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Auburn and maybe others like Florida State. But of course, with fan criticism and apathy at an all-time high during the Locksley tenure, how Jim Smith handles the next month marks his first test as Maryland’s first-year athletic director.

Adding to the commitment in the program is the other aspect that was a consistent sore spot under Damon Evans, who left Maryland for SMU in the spring. New Maryland AD Jim Smith and his leadership team have made fundraising and resources a priority, previously noting “we’re not going to get outbid by anybody” in addition to noting Locksley’s $13 million buyout is “not the determining factor,” making it clear that financial state won’t influence decision making.

But in a deep dive into the program, John Talty of CBS Sports highlighted the exact issue – who among the boosters will help with another coaching transition? For an athletic department mere months removed from a new athletic director, men’s basketball coach, and $52 million basketball facility – along with a $150 million football facility – mobilizing efforts for a leadership team months into the role is the question mark.

"I know that Kevin Plank has been the best partner to this institution, to athletics, and he really deeply believes in the success of Michael Locksley and the football program," Sabau told Talty.

"We have been and had been resourced to go to bowl games every year," head coach Mike Locksley added, doing the interview same week he noted five wins in 2025 is “slow progress.”

"Right now, we have enough resources that we should go to bowl games every year. That's not my goal anymore. My goal is to try to get into the playoff and try to compete for Big Ten championships. Being resourced to go to bowls and being resourced to win championships and take that next step are different resources."

While Maryland’s 18-game nonconference win streak is the longest active FBS streak, it has been the conference struggles that have painted a bigger picture. Locksley inherited a program filled with issues beyond the field, ending in a 2-10 finish before a COVID-shortened 2020 season featured the highs like a win at Penn State and the lows like Taulia Tagovailoa’s debut. But since 2021, Mike Locksley is just 5-12 in October and 4-14 in November – including a combined 1-12 record in October and November over the last two seasons. While Maryland has undoubtedly become a more competitive program in conference play under Locksley, in an era when results matter, fans have grown tired of the eventual losses after September.

"I think it's like shedding that scar tissue, which is a lot easier said than done, and really believing," Sabau said about the negative connotation tied to ‘October Maryland’. "You have to believe every time we start a game...that we have the ability and we have the resources to win. Whether that's trusting our head coaches or trusting the talent they've recruited and brought in, we have to believe. If we don't believe it, then we're really going to have a lot heavier lift."

There’s room to grow with Maryland’s commitment to the program as Maryland increased its football spending $10.31 million in 2021 to 2022, though it still ranked among the lowest in the Big Ten, while only Purdue spent less on Maryland’s $37 million budget in 2024. Add in just $14.83 million in ticket sales in 2024, compared to both Michigan and Ohio State reportedly exceeding $58 million, Maryland AD Jim Smith has room to grow – but how he does it is the biggest question.

"If we're good with a three-year plan, which is what I'm working with, then I think we're in the top tier of the Big Ten within three years in football," Jim Smith added.

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