Maryland Fires Mike Locksley: Coaching Odds Open With Charles Huff and Jake Dickert Early Favorites

Maryland has parted ways with head coach Mike Locksley, making him the first major-college head coach to leave his job this season. The school announced the move Wednesday, Oct. 21, calling it a mutual decision, four days after the Terrapins lost 37-30 to Rutgers at home. The defeat was Maryland’s fifth straight this season and its 12th consecutive loss in Big Ten play. Athletic director Jim Smith said the two sides agreed that a coaching change was in the best interest of Locksley and the program, and the school has named Aazaar Abdul-Rahim interim head coach while it begins a national search.

Locksley, 56, leaves with a 39-54 record at Maryland, a figure that includes his interim stint in 2015. His record since the start of the 2024 season was 10-21, and the Terrapins are now 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten heading into an open date. Maryland made three straight bowl games from 2021 through 2023 before back-to-back 4-8 seasons. Locksley is reportedly owed nearly $10 million in buyout money, with half of it due within 60 days. The timing is notable because Locksley had dismissed defensive coordinator Ted Monachino on Sunday, a move that appeared to signal he would be kept on, at least for the time being.

Abdul-Rahim Takes Over and the Search Begins

Abdul-Rahim, a Washington, D.C. native, was promoted to defensive coordinator after Monachino was fired and now steps in as the interim head coach. He is viewed as an important figure inside the building when it comes to keeping the roster together, which matters for a program that will have to fend off transfer interest while the search plays out. His first game in charge comes Oct. 31 at home against Illinois, followed by Purdue on Nov. 7, with Wisconsin also on the slate after that.

The early candidate lists are led by head coaches who already have winning résumés elsewhere. Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert is widely regarded as one of the hottest names in this coaching cycle. He is 15-5 in his second season with the Demon Deacons, who are ranked No. 17 nationally, and he previously led Washington State to bowl games. Memphis head coach Charles Huff is another frequently mentioned name, and he is a Maryland native from Denton who interned with the Terrapins in 2009 and has since run programs at Marshall, Southern Miss and Memphis. New Mexico’s Jason Eck, a former Wisconsin offensive lineman who is 40-18 across stops at Idaho and New Mexico, has also been mentioned. Other names circulating include James Madison’s Billy Napier. Analysts note that the pool of available coaches is thinner than usual after last year’s carousel pulled many Group of Six head coaches and top coordinators into new jobs.

CBS Sports described Maryland as the best job currently available among Power Four programs, though other openings, including Florida State, could materialize later. That competition is part of why the school’s timeline and its ability to land a first-choice candidate will be closely watched.

Betting Angle: Coaching Odds and the Market Reaction

The firing has already produced a coaching-hire market. Bookies.com has posted editorial odds, not live sportsbook lines, with Huff the +350 favorite to become the next Maryland head coach and Dickert next at +450. A +350 price translates to an implied probability of roughly 22 percent, which tells you how wide open the race is. Even the favorite is closer to a one-in-five proposition than a sure thing, and those numbers sit well inside the range where a single report from an insider can send the board moving.

Coaching-hire markets tend to be driven by reporting rather than analytics, so bettors tracking this one should watch how credible national reporters frame each candidate’s interest. Dickert has a rising profile and a ranked team, which could cut both ways: he is the type of candidate programs chase, but a coach with a ranked team and a 6-1 start may be reluctant to leave a good situation midyear. Huff’s Maryland ties make him a logical fit on paper, though ties alone rarely decide these searches. It is also worth remembering that interim coaches are occasionally retained after strong closing stretches, so Abdul-Rahim’s results over the final stretch will be worth watching.

The on-field markets are the other piece. Maryland enters the final five weeks winless in the Big Ten and on a five-game slide, with the open date giving Abdul-Rahim extra time to prepare. The Illinois game is at home and is the first look at the interim staff, so expect the market to treat those outings as unpredictable. Coaching changes can produce emotional spikes in effort, but they can also signal a locker room that has stopped competing, and oddsmakers generally adjust cautiously until there is a game sample. For bettors, Maryland’s situation is a reminder that the price on a team in turmoil can shift quickly once the first game under new leadership is played.