Maryland is officially in the market for a new football coach. The school fired Mike Locksley amid a 39-54 record over seven-plus seasons as the Terrapins' head coach. In a must-win 2026 season, Locksley's program stumbled out to a 2-5 record, including a homecoming loss on Saturday to Rutgers.
Maryland will owe Locksley more than $9 million in buyout money after letting him go. Maryland is the first Power Four school to fire a coach this season, kicking off what has been a much slower coaching carousel than a year ago. It'll be Jim Smith's first major hire as Maryland's athletic director after arriving in July 2025.
There are other Power Four jobs that could open in the future, including Florida State, but as of Wednesday, Maryland is the best job available. Who might Maryland target to replace Locksley? Here are some early names to watch, based on conversations with industry sources.
The hottest name in this coaching cycle could be Wake Forest second-year coach Jake Dickert. The 43-year-old is 14-5 midway through his second season and has the Demon Deacons ranked No. 17 in the country. The Wisconsin native previously had success at Washington State and is viewed as a program builder who isn't tied to a single geographic area.
Every school that has an opening this cycle will be interested in Dickert. The former Miami head coach has a good thing going in Durham. Diaz won the ACC a year ago and has the Blue Devils competitive again this season with a 4-2 start.
That Diaz has been able to do that without Darian Mensah, who left for Miami right as the transfer portal was closing, has impressed sources throughout college football. If Maryland wanted to take a big swing at a longshot candidate, Diaz fits the build. Eck is a proven winner (40-18) at places that aren't exactly easy to win at.
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