With job reassurance secured, Locksley focuses Maryland on No. 18 Michigan

Looking and sounding like a man who has had a weight lifted from his shoulders, Maryland football coach Mike Locksley spoke with emotion Tuesday following the announcement from university athletic director Jim Smith that he would return to lead the Terrapins next season.

Smith, in an open letter to Maryland fans, expressed he and his department’s full support of the seventh-year coach amid a six-game losing streak.

“There weren’t a lot of people that understood the landscape. And when [Smith and senior deputy AD Diana Sabau] got here, I can remember the first meeting I had with them,” Locksley said. “We presented a plan, and for them to see the plan and understand, and then they’ve had a chance now to watch what we’ve done.

“Obviously, no one, including myself, is happy with where we are when you talk about the map and the terrain. But from the day they got here, they’ve supported every part and they understand what winning looks like.”

Locksley and the approximately 20 players on the Terrapins’ leadership council found out before the letter’s publishing on Sunday.

“When he took the job, it was a job that nobody really wanted to take, because Maryland at that time was at its lowest peak … he’s built it to where it is now, where it’s going to continue to elevate and grow to be,” said receiver Octavian Smith Jr., a member of the leadership council and one of 16 seniors who will be honored before Saturday’s game with No. 18 Michigan. “I feel like he doesn’t get as much credit as he should as a head coach, and not only as a head coach, but as a black head coach at that. It’s not easy doing what he’s doing.”

The District native’s passion has always been evident throughout his tenure, but it was clear by the emotion on Locksley’s face and the passion in his voice what the endorsement from his boss meant to him.

“I’ve spent 37 years in this business doing what I do … I’ve spent 17 seasons on this campus. Not very many people know the ins and out of this campus like I have. And to have two people now that share the same special vision that I have, while also seeing the foundation of what we have when we didn’t have all the resources that we needed, I’m excited,” Locksley said. “I see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

In the letter, the athletic director pledged to “resource Maryland Football in the same way our Big Ten peers do,” acknowledging the challenges Locksley has dealt with in his seven seasons as head coach.

“They get to see the background and the resources and what we have and haven’t had. I don’t get up here and complain about resources. I just know this winning has a cost, and they understand that,” Locksley said. “I presented a plan for what it takes to win here at Maryland, and they’re behind me. They’re behind that plan.”

What that plan looks like in detail will have to wait until the offseason. The immediate challenge ahead of the Terrapins (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten) are the Wolverines (8-2, 6-1), who come to College Park riding a four-game win streak after a narrow 24-22 win over Northwestern — a victory powered by 195 yards rushing by their running backs.

“They add a huge [run-pass option] element with [offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey] to the run game that they’ve already been one of those teams that likes to establish the run because of the philosophy of their head coach,” Locksley said. “There’s no doubt they got talented backs, but the guys up front are the guys that really make them go.”

Maryland has failed to score a touchdown in its last six quarters, mustering only two field goals in a 24-6 loss last week at Illinois. Locksley took over play calling duties from then-OC Josh Gattis last season during similar struggles, but didn’t say he’d do the same now, only that he’s involved in crafting the strategy.

“I haven’t called very many plays. I make really strong suggestions now,” Locksley said. “Pep [Hamilton] is the offensive coordinator, I’m shaping it.”