Tag: Mike Locksley

WATCH: Maryland head coach Mike Locksley after loss to Ohio State: ‘We had guys looking like they fell out of airplanes, they were so wide open’

Get a listen to a Mike Locksley quote that’s going viral after his team got embarrassed by Ohio State Saturday. #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team ran the Maryland Terrapins off the field in the ‘Shoe on Saturday. It’s true that the Terps have some key injuries, most notably in the secondary and at wide receiver, but we’re sure head coach Mike Locksley expected the next men up to put up a better fight than what he saw.

Still, Locksley took his medicine and met with the media after the game to field questions and to discuss what he saw from the game. As always, we like to follow what the opposing coach says about the Buckeyes after the game, so we have the video and audio of the Maryland head man after the 66-17 beatdown.

And, unlike most opposing coaches, Locksley had none of a desire to compliment Ohio State. He blamed the loss on his own team and at one point even made a backhanded compliment to C.J. Stroud’s performance (passed for over 400 yards) by saying that he simply hit wide-open receivers. Early on in the presser, Locksley also said that “We had guys looking like they fell out of airplanes, they were so wide open.”

Welp. OK. In case you’d like to catch the rest of the press conference, feel free to click on the below and watch the brief press conference in its entirety thanks to the Terrapin Sports Report’s YouTube Channel.

Ohio State now enters its bye-week before it gets back at it against Indiana on the road in a couple of weeks.

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WATCH: What Maryland head coach Mike Locksley said about Ohio State in weekly press conference

Mike Locksley had some praise for the Ohio State team the Terps are about to see on Saturday.

After administering a public flogging to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Ohio State now looks forward to hosting the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday afternoon to try and continue its forward momentum.

Maryland sits at 4-1, but just got the doors blown off of its pride against Iowa last Friday night, also losing its most explosive receiver Dontay Demus to a knee injury for the year. Aside from last week though, the Terps have looked like a pretty competitive bunch and look to bounce back against OSU Saturday.

Head coach Mike Locksley met with the local media over in College Park to preview the matchup and provide a status on his team after the bad-look on Friday. Make no mistake, he knows the challenge ahead traveling to Columbus to take on a Buckeye squad that seems to be coming back to a Buckeye-like level. He had some very complimentary things to say about Ohio State and we’ve got his comments for you thanks to the YouTube channel of the Terrapin Sports Report.

Click on the below and watch and listen to Locksley talk about the talent across the board Ohio State possesses, how impressed he is with quarterback C.J. Stroud, the improvement of OSU’s defense, and more.

Ohio State and Maryland will roll the ball out on the field at Noon EDT on Saturday, with Fox Sports having the call.

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Nick Saban, Mike Locksley join forces for NCMFC

Former Alabama OC Mike Locksley created an organization dedicated to promoting diversity within the football coaching community.

Former Alabama offensive coordinator, and current Maryland head coach, Mike Locksley took it upon himself to form a group that serves a purpose of encouraging minority coaches and staff within the football realm.

The National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches (NCMFC) will be very hands-on in the much needed diversification of the football coaching community.

NFL.com’s Jim Trotter writes,

“The nonprofit organization will seek to not only identify and groom coaches of color (male and female) for upward mobility, but also create a candidates list that will be vetted by a board of directors that includes some of the most respected and powerful names in sport.”

Locksley immediately wanted to do something about the lack of minority representation in a coaching capacity. He soon formed the NCMFC with one goal in mind: help others.
“When I took the Maryland job last year and looked at the landscape of college football, I thought to myself, ‘There’s something missing. I’m on the back nine of my career and the pathway to becoming a head coach is still as difficult as when I got into the business in 1992,'” Locksley said. “I wanted to create an organization that would be able to help prepare, promote and produce the next group of coaches coming up through the ranks at every level.”
Along with Locksley comes a star-studded Board of Directors.
Ozzie Newsome, Bill Polian, Mike Tomlin, Chris Grier and many other accomplished individuals from the football community, both college and professional.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban was also named to the board.
Locksley explains why he chose these specifics people to help lead the coalition:
“These are all people that have either hired head coaches or coordinators or filled upper-level positions throughout their careers,” Locksley said. “They all have been at the top of the mountain, per se, in their respective areas, whether winning Super Bowls or national championships or being pioneers, like Debbie Yow and Willie Jeffries. We want to use their experiences to help us formulate and produce the list of qualified candidates, so when people say there aren’t enough minorities to fill the positions that have come open over the years, we’re going to produce a list of qualified people that shows there are qualified people. What’s needed is opportunities.”

Taulia Tagovailoa’s dad shares why Taulia chose to leave Alabama

Tagovailoa transferred to Maryland, and his father Galu Tagovailoa shared with AL.com why Taulia chose to transfer.

When news broke that Taulia Tagovailoa had made the decision to transfer to Maryland, many fans were shocked, considering his older brother Tua had just been drafted to the Miami Dolphins and the Tagovailoa family seems to enjoy being together, considering the family moved from Hawaii to Alabama when Tua Tagovailoa moved to Tuscaloosa.

Many people assumed Taulia would transfer to a school in southern Florida such as FAU, FIU, and Miami, but he didn’t. Tagovailoa transferred to Maryland, and his father Galu Tagovailoa shared with AL.com why Taulia chose to transfer.

“It’s really tough and it’s nothing against Alabama. But my boys are competitive and Lia is such a competitive kid. And he wanted an opportunity to compete. He was told that he was going to come in and compete and he didn’t really get that opportunity, so he wanted to use the spring to do that. But with the COVID-19 thing going on, he didn’t really have the opportunity to compete. He’s a competitor. He likes to work. He likes to compete on the field. And just, going into the season this year, he just felt that he wasn’t given that opportunity and he wants to take it somewhere where they’re going to give him the opportunity to make the best of his skill set.”

And according to Galu, Maryland seemed to be the best fit for Taulia:

“He’s a player. This kid likes to play. He wants a chance to get on the field. He knew that him getting on the field this past season was just to hand off the ball and they didn’t really showcase him and who he is. He doesn’t fear competition. He just wants an opportunity to go out there and play. And the best place right now for him is Maryland.”

Maryland was also appealing largely because of the head coach, Mike Locksley, who was Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2018, and had the opportunity to coach Taulia’s older brother Tua.

Sure, Tua Tagovailoa will go down in history as being one of the best Alabama quarterbacks of all time, but that doesn’t mean Taulia isn’t capable of making a name for himself as well.

After all, Taulia was rated as the No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the 2019 class by 247Sports and PrepStar.

Taulia also became the only quarterback in Alabama state history to have at least four 400-yard passing performances in his career, throwing for 3,728 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior at Thompson High School. Tagovailoa also led Thompson to the 2018 Class 7A state championship and was selected to the Class 7A All-State first team in 2017.

Taulia saw limited action in Tuscaloosa for the Crimson Tide. He recorded 9 passes for 100 yards and 1 TD. He only played in 3 games in 2019: against Western Carolina, Arkansas, and Southern Mississippi.

But Taulia is extremely talented and has so much potential, and Mike Locksley can help him. Considering he’s coached Tua Tagovailoa, Mike has an edge that every other coach doesn’t.

Maryland released a statement that said, “Tua Tagovailoa threw for 3,189 yards and a school-record 37 touchdowns as the Crimson Tide offense averaged 47.9 points and 527.6 yards per game. The Locksley-Tua Tagovailoa combination helped Alabama set school records for points scored (623), single-season total offense (6,859 yards) and passing yards (4,231) in a season.”

It’s true. And if Locksley can help Taulia find his own unique skillset, Maryland could become a team to keep an eye out for.

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Mike Locksley knows not to compare Taulia Tagovailoa to brother, Tua

There’s one thing in particular about Locksley that sticks out: he knows not to compare Taulia to his older brother Tua

Mike Locksley was in the middle of his Instagram Live show Friday night when he found out that Taulia Tagovailoa would be coming to play for him in Maryland. He was surprised nonetheless that Tagovailoa had chose Maryland over other schools including Miami, FAU, and FIU.

“As I’m in the middle of the show, which starts at 7 o’clock Eastern time here, I just know my phone started blowing up and buzzing and buzzing and buzzing,” Locksley, who was Tua’s offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2018, told AL.com. “So I looked down and saw I had a missed call from an 808 (Hawaii) number. And then I was finishing my show and by the time I finished the show, probably around 7:35 or 7:40, my phone had just blown up that Taulia had said he was coming to Maryland. So I called him back and he said, ‘Hey Coach, as a family we’ve prayed about it and I’m coming to Maryland.’”

But there’s one thing in particular about Locksley that sticks out: he knows not to compare Taulia to his older brother Tua. Afterall, Locksley coached Tua when he was offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide in 2018.

But still, Locksley knows that Tualia has his own skillset and talent:

“To even begin comparing him to Tua, I would never do that,” Locksley said of Taulia, who threw for 3,728 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading Thompson High School to the Alabama Class 7A state championship game in 2018. “That’s obviously a tough, tough deal being the younger brother of a quarterback like Tua. But I do know this, at Thompson High School he put up a lot of numbers, threw the ball really accurately, has great athleticism in the pocket and is a winner. His accuracy is really what kind of jumps out to me as a passer.”

Sure, Tua Tagovailoa will go down in history as being one of the best Alabama quarterbacks of all time, but that doesn’t mean Taulia isn’t capable of making a name for himself as well.

After all, Taulia was rated as the No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the 2019 class by 247Sports and PrepStar.

Taulia also became the only quarterback in Alabama state history to have at least four 400-yard passing performances in his career, throwing for 3,728 yards and 35 touchdowns as a senior at Thompson High School. Tagovailoa also led Thompson to the 2018 Class 7A state championship and was selected to the Class 7A All-State first team in 2017.

Taulia saw limited action in Tuscaloosa for the Crimson Tide. He recorded 9 passes for 100 yards and 1 TD. He only played in 3 games in 2019: against Western Carolina, Arkansas, and Southern Mississippi.

But Taulia is extremely talented and has so much potential, and Mike Locksley can help him. Considering he’s coached Tua Tagovailoa, Mike has an edge that every other coach doesn’t.

Maryland released a statement that said, “Tua Tagovailoa threw for 3,189 yards and a school-record 37 touchdowns as the Crimson Tide offense averaged 47.9 points and 527.6 yards per game. The Locksley-Tua Tagovailoa combination helped Alabama set school records for points scored (623), single-season total offense (6,859 yards) and passing yards (4,231) in a season.”

It’s true. And if Locksley can help Taulia find his own unique skillset, Maryland could become a team to keep an eye out for.

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New Mexico Football: Danny Gonzales’ First Recruiting Class Turns Heads And Keeps Promises

The New Mexico Lobos 2020 Recruiting Class Is Complete With 24 Signings. Class is complete with a high school focus and southwest feel. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Danny Gonzales completes his first recruiting class in Albuquerque, and …

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The New Mexico Lobos 2020 Recruiting Class Is Complete With 24 Signings.

Class is complete with a high school focus and southwest feel. 

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Danny Gonzales completes his first recruiting class in Albuquerque, and it’s a good one. 

As we look towards the month of February and with National Signing Day officially in the rear view, coaching staffs can begin to regroup and look onward to spring practice. The Mountain West has welcomed four new head coaches to the conference this off season, some faces familiar and others not so much. But no matter the coach, job or school one thing remains and that’s national signing day.

Danny Gonzales is one of those familiar faces we mentioned earlier, an Albuquerque native who walked-on at New Mexico from near by Valley High School during the last years of Dennis Franchione’s tenure and in the Rocky Long’s first year in charge back in 1998. Long has had his own storied success with the Lobos as he has transitioned from player to head coach and now defensive coordinator almost fifty years later.

Gonzales has walked a similar path to Long’s and has enjoyed success in every role he’s taken while doing it. At New Mexico, San Diego State and most recently under Herm Edwards at Arizona State. Only failing to reach a bowl game in five of his 19 seasons on a collegiate coaching staff. Fans and administration are hoping he brings some of that winning pedigree to Dreamstyle Stadium this fall, everyone knows it’s overdue.

But the life blood of college football is still recruiting, and of course player development is another big component of on field success but still how do you mold that 6-4 210 pound kid from Lovington into that 6-4 255 pound NFL draft top-ten pick? Well you got to get him there first. And of course all eyes are on Danny Gonzales and his newly formed coaching staff to put together a strong first class and win down in Albuquerque.

Now let’s be a little realistic, Gonzales was hired back in mid-December. Right around the NCAA’s early signing period on December 19th. With only one player committed to the Lobos at the time in El Paso native Gabe Stonewall (a Bob Davie Commit, now commited to Lamar). It was a little hard to think he would put together a class to top the Mountain West recruiting rankings in just over a month and a half right?

But his first recruiting class at New Mexico is different, yes different in structure, origin and let’s say expectations than classes of years past. But you can attribute than directly to the man in charge and his former coach, mentor and boss who is now his employee.

Recruiting classes under Bob Davie and Mike Locksley before him tried, but often failed to have a local feel and representation to them. Both brought in local players, on scholarship and as walk-ons during their time in Albuquerque but a majority of the roster was made up of players from around the country. Locksley had connections back in the DMV (D.C., Maryland and Virginia area), which is where he brought in a lot of his players from. Davie whose connections were a bit broader brought in recruits from a little bit of everywhere.

That was completely fine but the New Mexican community like most around the country enjoy seeing homegrown kids on the field. Which has been a goal for Danny Gonzales since day one. To recruit not only regionally but locally in his home state and to give local players opportunities like the one that he was given over twenty-five years ago.

The class stands at twenty-four players signed to NLI’s after national signing day, it includes 7 Texans, 10 Californians, 3 Arizonians, 1 Louisianan and of course 2 New Mexicans. Those New Mexicans are Dion Hunter a linebacker out of Rio Rancho (Cleveland HS) and defensive end Bryce Santana of Los Lunas (Los Lunas HS). Besides a very southwest feel the recruiting class also lists only one junior college player in offensive lineman Isaak Gutierrez of Butte College. It is yet just another difference between the recruiting styles of old and new. As Davie and Locksley both heavily recruited the junior college ranks.

Next, the list:

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