Mike Locksley reflects on ‘losing the locker room’ over NIL, setting new tone

In 2024, Maryland struggled to a 4-8 overall record, including a 1-8 mark in Big Ten play. That led Mike Locksley to make changes to the staff – but he’s also setting a new tone this year.

Speaking at Big Ten Media Days this week, Locksley said he lost the locker room. He cited NIL as a factor as he made some tough decisions in an ever-changing landscape in college sports, which is why the message is changing in 2025.

While the Terps have a list of unknowns entering this season, Locksley said 2024 served as a valuable lesson. As a result, he expects a turnaround.

“I’ll tell you, a year ago Coach Locks lost his locker room,” Locksley said at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. “For me to stand in front of a group of media and tell you that I lost my locker room – and it wasn’t because I wasn’t a good coach. It wasn’t because they weren’t good players because we were better than a four-win team.

“What we had to do was, we had haves and have-nots for the first time in our locker room, and the landscape of college football taught me a valuable lesson. That valuable lesson is it’s important for me, even in the midst of this change, to continue to educate our players on the importance of what playing for something bigger than yourself is all about. And I can tell you that if I’ve got to put my desk in the locker room this year, I will.”

Mike Locksley: ‘Last year was tough on me’

Mike Locksley grew up in Washington, D.C. cheering for Maryland. He fell in love with the school, which is why he chose to take over the program after serving on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama – and he made it clear he still enjoys his job.

But the 2024 season took its toll. Locksley was the one deciding how to distribute dollars among the roster, which made for a tough balancing act. That’s changing since Maryland brought in program great Geroy Simon as general manager.

This year, Locksley doesn’t want his players focusing on the amount of money they’re making. In fact, there’s a sign in front of the locker room that shows what he means.

“Last year was tough on me as a coach because for the first time, those really strong relationships were questioned because I had to decide whether to pay a freshman coming in or take care of a veteran player that helped me go to three bowl games and have success and do something that hadn’t been done in 130 years in the history of Maryland football,” Locksley said. “It was hard to do both.

“What I’ve decided now is if you come to Maryland and you look outside of the our locker room, there’s a sign. That sign reads, ‘You can leave your Louis belts, your car keys, and your financial statements outside of this locker room,’ because when you enter those doors, we’ll all pay the same price for success or failure. That’s really important for me. That’s what last year was about for me, but that’s also why I’m excited about this year because I don’t know what kind of team I have just yet. But I know that they’re really talented. It’s a matter of them playing for something bigger than themselves, which we’re in the process of developing that type of culture.”