Tag: Mike Locksley

5 underdog candidates for the Alabama coaching job

Here are five names you may not have heard about when it comes to Alabama’s hunt for a new head coach.

A few high-profile names have been tossed around when it comes to replacing Nick Saban as the head coach of Alabama. The top two right now seem to be Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Washington’s Kalen DeBoer. However, there might be some candidates who were initially overlooked.

Based on some slight buzz on social media and what a few oddsmakers have come up with, there are a few long shots who are definite possibilities nonetheless.

Mind you, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne explained that nothing should be believed unless it comes from him. According to Byrne’s guidance, these aren’t even long shots, they are just candidates whose names have not popped up in rumors and reports.

Tale of the Tape: Auburn vs. Maryland

The Tigers are a touchdown favorite to win the Music City Bowl, but could this game be closer than oddsmakers expect?

The 6-6 Auburn Tigers return to action for the first time since losing the Iron Bowl later this week when they take on the 7-5 Maryland Terrapins in the Music City Bowl on December 30.

Auburn finished the regular season with back-to-back losses but managed bowl eligibility in the first season under new head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].

On the other side, Taulia Tagovailoa and Maryland had an up-and-down season in the Big 10, winning 7 games in 12 tries.

The all-time leading passer in Big 10 history has opted out of this game, giving Auburn a significant edge according to oddsmakers. The Tigers are currently a full touchdown favorite on BetMGM.

ESPN FPI believes this game should be much closer, as Hugh Freeze’s squad has just a 52.4% chance to win according to the model.

Will the tale of the tape show us this game will be a Dixieland Delight for Auburn fans, or will Maryland fans be singing the Victory song on Broadway after the Music City Bowl?

As always we’ll start with the quarterbacks.

Tigers quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] initial season on the Plains was much like a Sky Dog at 2 AM. The junior was a bit disappointing, but ultimately got the job done for the most part.

Thorne finished the regular season with 1,671 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions as Auburn’s QB1(a).

Hugh Freeze’s QB1(b), [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], has joined thousands of other players in the transfer portal, leaving Thorne with the keys to the Honda Accord that is the Auburn offense.

With Ashford all but gone and incoming four-star recruit Walker White cooking in the background, Thorne has one final chance in game action to prove he can lead the Tigers into 2024.

As for the team up in Maryland, senior sensation Taulia Tagovailoa has chosen to opt out of this game, leaving sophomore quarterback [autotag]Billy Edwards Jr.[/autotag] and freshmen [autotag]Cameron Edge[/autotag] as the lone signal-callers on the Terps roster.

Both players combined for just 13 passing attempts this season although Edwards Jr. was used as a goal line quarterback, most notably rushing for 3 touchdowns against No. 1 ranked Michigan.

Maryland’s passing offense was explosive this season but the loss of Tagovailoa gives the edge to Thorne and the Tigers.

The skill positions across the offense are a different story. Auburn holds the edge at running back thanks to the electrifying [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] but the wide receiver gap is larger than Old Line State’s obsession with Old Bay.

Maryland often employs three-reciever sets with [autotag]Jeshaun Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Tai Felton[/autotag], and [autotag]Kaden Pranther[/autotag]. Those three combined for nearly 500 more receiving yards than Auburn quarterback [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] had in passing yards this season.

The Terrapins fourth target, tight end Corey Dyches, would have paced all Auburn pass-catchers as well.

Auburn tight end Rivaldo Fairweather had a solid season but the edge clearly goes to Maryland, especially considering the Tigers will be without [autotag]Ja’Varrius Johnson[/autotag] in this one.

Auburn’s defense is clearly the better unit on that side of the ball, but defensive coordinator [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag] has some work ahead of him due to opt outs.

Cornerbacks [autotag]D.J. James[/autotag] and [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag] as well as defensive lineman [autotag]Marcus Harris[/autotag] won’t be availbile for this one, leaving the 21-ranked defense according to ESPN FPI shorthanded in Nashville.

James and Harris were arguably Auburn’s two best players on the defensive side of the ball this season. It helps that linebacker [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Keionte Scott[/autotag] are staying on the Plains and will be playing, but the loss of Harris, James, and Pritchett will be felt.

Maryland’s defense on the other hand isn’t great but it’s not anemic either. The Terps were solid all year long, but did give up an average of over 30 points per game in losses this season.

Head coach [autotag]Mike Locksley[/autotag] isn’t dealing with any major opt-outs on that side of the ball, making the gap between these two teams closer than the stats say.

Still, Auburn gets the edge here.

There is a reason ESPN FPI has these two teams ranked next to each other in overall ranking. While the loss of Taulia Tagovailoa gives Auburn an edge in this game, the Music City Bowl could very well come down to the wire.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

What Maryland coach Mike Locksley said after Michigan football beat Maryland

Really good stuff here from the Maryland head coach. #GoBlue

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Like many a year, Maryland came close to taking down a top team set to play its rivalry game the next week, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

A couple of times, the Terps have pushed Ohio State to the limit, but this year, it was Michigan that narrowly avoided an upset to the team based in College Park.

After the game, Maryland head coach Mike Locksley credited Michigan football with its win and shared what it was the Wolverines did to keep the Terrapins from escaping with an unlikely win.

Here are the things Locksley said that pertained to the Wolverines in his postgame press conference.

WATCH what Maryland head coach Mike Locksley said about Ohio State after the loss

See and listen to what Maryland head coach Mike Locksley had to say about Ohio State after the game. #GoBucks

It was a little scary until midway through the third quarter, but Ohio State got its act together and was pulled away for a win over Maryland on Saturday afternoon. It was a good showing for quite a while for the Terps, but once the game wore on, they wore down and ended up with a 20-point loss.

Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley thought his team could give Ohio State issues and came into the contest looking to stake a claim as a combatant in the East division with Penn State, Michigan and the Buckeyes. That didn’t happen, and Locksley met with reporters after the game to discuss what he saw and thought about the game.

In case you missed any of his comments, we have them here and we’re sharing from our Buckeyes Wire YouTube channel. Click through the below video and listen to Locksley discuss the respect for Ohio State, the shortcomings of his team’s performance, the Buckeyes ability to limit big plays, and more.

Ohio State is 5-0 and will begin preparations to travel to play Purdue next week. We’ll have coverage leading up to the game, so check back often.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Know your Ohio State foe: Which Maryland Terrapins could give Buckeyes problems

These Terps won’t make the Buckeyes’ job easy on Saturday #GoBucks

It’s not its stiffest test to the early season, but [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] will be challenged at home this Saturday against the [autotag]Maryland Terrapins[/autotag].

The Terps enter the game undefeated at 5-0, and just on the outside of both major polls. Head coach, [autotag]Mike Locksley[/autotag], has taken a few years to get the program to where he wants it, but it looks like he has it going in the right direction now.

Due to that, the Terrapins have more than a few players that will give Ohio State some issues this Saturday. Find out below who the Buckeyes will have to stop if they want to stay undefeated and move along a journey it hopes ends with some confetti and trophies.

VIDEO: What Maryland head coach Mike Locksley said about Ohio State in previewing the matchup

Watch and get a listen to what Maryland head coach Mike Locksley said about Ohio State prior to the matchup on Saturday. #GoBucks

Ohio State and Maryland will meet in the ‘Shoe at high noon on Saturday, and it’s an underrated matchup between two undefeated teams. While we’re at it, someone needs to explain why Maryland is not yet ranked despite a pretty dominant looking 5-0 start.

Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley has done a good job of building this program to where it looks like the Terps will be able to provide more than a puncher’s chance at knocking off one or more of the three big teams in the conference: Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.

That first opportunity happens on Saturday, and Locksley met with the local media this week to preview a fairly sizeable game for his program. We weren’t there for Locksley’s presser, but we have it for your consumption thanks to “Inside the Black and Gold’s” YouTube Channel.

During his press conference, Locksley expresses admiration for the Buckeye program, what an opportunity it is, the players that could be an issue to contain and much more.

As a reminder, Ohio State and Maryland are set to kick off at noon ET on Saturday. We’ll continue to provide coverage leading up to the game and will have some reaction during and after the contest.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Mike Locksley talks Michigan State football student section

MSU’s student section has made an impression on Maryland head coach Mike Locksley

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup between Michigan State and Maryland, Mike Locksley talked about the Spartans and what he expects out of the matchup. One thing that was on his mind, the Michigan State student section. Locksley noted how loud the student section is, and how they sometimes can be annoying.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

Maryland HC Mike Locksley set to receive sizeable salary raise

Mike Locksley received a sizeable salary increase on Friday.

The University of Maryland and Mike Locksley have agreed to new contract terms that will give the 53-year-old head coach a sizeable salary raise.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated, Locksley will now see his salary increase from $4 million to $6.1 million. The contract is set to run through the 2027 season but an additional year will also be added to the contract if the Terrapins win seven more games this fall.

While Maryland has confirmed that the university and Locksley have agreed to new details on his contract, they did not confirm any raise in salary.

“Coach Locksley has done an amazing job revitalizing our football program,” said Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said in the press release. “We have won bowl games in each of the last two years, something that hadn’t been done at Maryland in nearly 20 years. Coach Locks continues to grow our program, both on and off the field, in developing impressive young men. As we continue to make significant strides with higher expectations, we are excited he will be leading our program into the future as ‘The Best Is Ahead’ for Maryland football.”

Locksley took over the Maryland football program in 2019 after being an assistant coach at Alabama from 2016 through 2018. Since taking over at Maryland, the Terrapins have gone from 3-9 and 2-3 in his first two seasons to 7-6 and 8-5 in their last two including two bowl game victories. It has been a much better tenure for Locksley at Maryland than his first head coaching stint at New Mexico where he went 2-26 over two and half seasons. If the Maryland can achieve a winning record in 2023, it will be their first three-season stretch of .500 or better since 2001 through 2003 under head coach Ralph Friedgen which saw the Terrapins go 31-8 overall.

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Maryland coach Mike Locksley gets the Duke’s Mayo bath

Maryland earned its coach Mike Locksley a bath of Duke’s Mayo

The University of Maryland defeated North Carolina State, 16-12, in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Friday.

And you know what that means … the Terps’ coach had to sit in the chair for the four-gallon mayo bath thanks courtesy of the game’s sponsor.

The big hat almost helped prevent Locksley from getting totally smothered in mayo.

 (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

White the Wolfpack were defeated, their coach Dave Doeren might not have been totally miffed. He isn’t a big fan of the condiment as the viewing audience was told incessantly during the broadcast.

 

What Maryland coach Mike Locksley said about Michigan football after the game

These are uncomplimentary compliments.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Maryland looked like it belonged against Michigan in Week 4, and the Terps head coach, Mike Locksley, sounded like his team belonged, as well.

Instead of fawning all over the Wolverines, who won 34-27 on Saturday, Locksley noted that while Michigan won the game, it was more about what the Terrapins didn’t do.

“Obviously gotta give credit to Michigan, a top-five program,” Locksley said. “Obviously, like I told our team, we don’t believe in moral victories, close is not good enough. But I’m proud of the way our team fought. I liked the effort that we played with. We faced adversity throughout the game, including spotting them a touchdown. Right at the beginning, which, as I’ve said here, good teams don’t need help. And we sure gave them a cheap, easy one right off the bat.”

When Michigan needed a big defensive stop after the first few drives of the game, besides the final touchdown for Maryland, it produced it. For Locksley, it was a lack of execution on the Terps’ end, and players not finishing, along with the coaches not putting Maryland’s players in a good positioin.

“The disappointing thing is that we talked about what it would take to win up here, which is to give ourselves a chance to get in this game and into the fourth quarter,” Locksley said. “We had opportunities to kind of put ourselves ahead, which puts pressure on a good team like Michigan. And from coaching to our best players, we’ve got to make the right call. Our players got to make the plays that are there to be made. If we can learn how to do that against good teams like this, I think we take a step forward in terms of getting it to where we said we needed to get the game — into a fourth-quarter opportunity for us — so we did that.

“But we didn’t make the plays when the plays were there to be made. And that starts with coaching, starts with our best players, making the plays when they’re there to be made.”

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But what did Locksley have to say about why his offense wasn’t able to execute?

He did credit Michigan, to some degree, but still pointed the finger back at the Terps for not being able to get the job done.

“Michigan’s defense, our players not executing,” Locksley said. “I mean, most of the time when we don’t have success on offense, it’s not necessarily because of something that the other team is doing, it’s usually our execution. And we’ve got to execute at a higher level. You’ve got to make the plays were there to be made.”

Overall, Locksley wasn’t fawning over the Wolverines. He felt his team had a chance to win, and it looked like it for a good two-thirds of the game. Given that Michigan has had sustained success under head coach Jim Harbaugh, Locksley says he understands how difficult a task it would be to come in and upset the maize and blue.

But, again, he noted that it was his team’s lack of execution that held it back on Saturday.

“It’s more about us than Michigan. And it’s gonna always be that way, in my mind, because if you watch the way this game played out, there’s nobody in our locker room that came in making this into a Super Bowl,”  Locksley said. “Michigan’s a top-five team. So I give them tremendous credit and the way they built their program and established it, but we knew that we would have a chance to be in this game. And that we would have to make some plays to take it because they won’t give it to you. And we didn’t take it today.”

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