Offensive coordinator valued as a recruiter As expected, Maryland named Mike Locksley its new offensive coordinator. Locksley, a former Terrapins assistant with a history of success as a recruiter, was fired amid controversy early this season at New Mexico, where he went 2-26 in his first head coaching job.
Locksley, who turns 42 on Christmas Day, replaces Gary Crowton, who served one season under Randy Edsall before being reassigned to an administrative job. Terms of his contract were not disclosed.
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At New Mexico, Locksley was suspended for one game in 2009 for punching an assistant coach. He also was sued for sexual harassment by an administrative assistant in a case that eventually was dropped. When he was fired in September, it came after a recruit was charged with drunken driving in a car that was registered to Locksley.
“There have been a lot of things said and written over the last two and a half years that have no validity,” Locksley said via teleconference Thursday.
Locksley’s record as an assistant coach was exemplary as he recruited many standouts while at Maryland (1997-2002), Florida (2003-04) and Illinois (2005-08). Among the players Locksley wooed were LaMont Jordan (Maryland), Shawne Merriman (Maryland), Arrelious Benn (Illinois), Derrick Harvey (Florida) and brothers Vernon Davis (Maryland) and Vontae Davis (Illinois).
All of the players are from the Washington area, where Edsall needs to repair his image after a 2-10 season. Since the Terps closed the year with their eighth straight loss at N.C. State, eight scholarship players — including three from the D.C. suburbs and three from the Baltimore area — have left the program.
Locksley is expected to boost the Terps’ recruiting efforts, which have been hampered by the coaching transition from Ralph Friedgen to Edsall. According to rivals.com, Maryland’s recruiting class of 2012 ranks last in the ACC. The Terps have received verbal commitments from 17 players.
“If we can find a way to keep the top players at home, this program will be right where it needs to be,” Locksley said.
This year at New Mexico, Locksley’s team included 15 players from the Washington area, including 10 who started at least one game. At Illinois in 2008, the roster included 13 D.C. area products.
Edsall was characteristically vague when asked about the system he and Locksley will run next year, calling it a “multiple pro-style offense that will include some spread principles.” The description sounds more like the scheme the Terps used in 2010 when they went 9-4 and quarterback Danny O’Brien was named ACC rookie of the year.
Locksley grew up in Washington, D.C. He played at Ballou High, then was a standout safety at Towson, where he began his coaching career in 1992, followed by stints at the Naval Academy Prep School, Pacific and Army before coming to Maryland.
“Mike is passionate about Maryland football, and we’re happy to welcome him back home,” Edsall said in a statement. “He has a tremendous offensive mind, and his recruiting ties to the state of Maryland and the Washington D.C. area will play a key role for us moving forward.”
