Maryland AD Jim Smith has "confidence" in head coach Mike Locksley ahead of November slate

Ahmed Ghafir
10 hours ago
2 min read

Maryland football’s 4-0 start anchored by a young core drew national praise through September as the team found itself on the cusp of its first AP ranking since head coach Mike Locksley’s first season as head coach. But a three-game slide since then has dampened that initial excitement through the second and final bye week of the season.

Maryland now finds itself sitting at 4-3 (1-3) this season with three consecutive losses by a combined ten points despite the team holding fourth quarter leads in each, and the road ahead doesn’t get easier. Fresh off his second contract extension in his second season with the program, head coach Curt Cignetti will lead Indiana to College Park on Nov. 1 for the homecoming game, marking the first of three games in November against teams currently ranked.

While the coaching carousel has already shifted into high gear with Florida the latest high-profile job available, Maryland AD Jim Smith reiterated the patient approach and backed head coach Mike Locksley on Wednesday in a sign of confidence.

“I have confidence in Locks,” Smith told Ed Lee of The Baltimore Sun. “The big difference and advantage I have that others don’t is, I see his commitment and his passion and his belief and his strategy for Maryland football every day. We can debate play calls and end results all we want, but I believe that we’ve got the talent to head in the right direction.”

Maryland is looking to avoid a consecutive losing season after finishing 4-8 (1-8) in 2024, Locksley’s first losing season since 2019. Prior to that, Locksley led Maryland to three consecutive bowl wins and consecutive eight-win seasons, both program feats given the program hasn’t matched either stat through the 2000s. But since Maryland finished .500 in its first Big Ten season, the program has yet to match or eclipse .500 in conference play with Locksley owning a 13-27 record in Big Ten play since 2021.

Still, the Terps’ youth movement was expected this season with several freshmen - including QB Malik Washington, DL Sidney Stewart, DL Zahir Mathis and safety Messiah Delhomme - leading a host of underclassmen in 2025. And with just eight departing seniors, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic for what the 2026 roster could look like when St. Frances (MD) edge Zion Elee, the nation’s top prospect, joins the defense once he arrives in January among the other early enrollees.

For Smith, the patient approach is clear with a chance to still see Maryland “put that complete game together” through the final month of the regular season.

“We’ve played exceptionally well in all of them on one side of the ball or the other. What we haven’t done is put a complete game together, and that’s what we’re all waiting to see,” Smith said.

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