Being a college football head coach isn’t an occupation that you can ever feel comfortable and safe. Things can change very quickly on the field and because of that, they can also change very quickly off-the-field. Below is a Big Ten head coach who is not currently on the hot seat (at least seriously) but could see that change this season if things don’t go his way.
Mike Locksley (Maryland)
Locksley’s seven seasons with the Terps have been a roller coaster ride, which unfortunately for him saw a dip last season. His time as a head coach in College Park actually began back in 2015 when he coached six games with an interim tag after the firing of Randy Edsall. After going 1-5, he spent three seasons with Alabama as an assistant before making his way back to College Park as the head coach in 2019.
Through his first two seasons back with the Terps, he led them to a 5-12 record, but then he rebounded with a 23-16 run over the next three seasons. This included three bowl trips and more importantly, three bowl wins. However, 2024 was a step backwards, with the Terps finishing 4-8. One bad season does not offset three straight winning seasons, especially when played in the extremely difficult Big Ten Eastern Division, but it has raised some concerns.
It brought back memories of Locksley’s time in charge of New Mexico, when he led the Lobos to a 2-26 record. It also reminded everyone that he has only compiled a 35-67 record as a head coach. And all of these negative thoughts will only grow if Maryland has another subpar season.
What is working in Locksley’s favor in 2025 is the schedule. The out-of-conference portion is three home games against FAU, Northern Illinois and Towson. Then the Big Ten schedule makers did the Terps a huge favor by having them miss out on Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon.
Can the Terps win their three out-of-conference games and then squeeze out three Big Ten wins to become bowl eligible? Because of the extremely manageable schedule, even if they make a bowl at 6-6 the noise around Locksley will grow. However, if the Terps go without a bowl, it will get very loud, very quickly around College Park.
