When a college football coach is fired, the announcement is only the beginning of the fallout. Players are left facing an uncertain future, fans are desperate for answers, and reporters race to understand what the decision means for everyone involved. Behind every coaching change are people trying to make sense of what comes next, and sometimes, their reactions tell a story that no official statement ever could. At Maryland, two student journalists set out to capture those voices.
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They headed to the football facility, hoping to speak with the people closest to the upheaval and understand the mood inside the program. But their attempt to do their jobs took an unexpected turn. Instead of getting the reactions they came for, they were confronted by campus police and asked to leave.
“For @testudotimes, @JudeWilkenfeld and I were outside Jones-Hill House trying to get players to comment,” the managing editor of Testudo Times Nolan Rogalski wrote on X on October 22. “An athletics staffer took pictures of us, and a police dispatch was called for suspicious activity; a cop and 2 cop cars pulled up, and officers ID’d us and asked us to leave.”
The incident unfolded on Wednesday, October 21, after the University of Maryland announced that it was parting ways with head coach Mike Locksley. The Terrapins had lost five straight games, including a 37-30 defeat against Rutgers, making the coaching change a major story on campus. Nolan Rogalski and Jude Wilkenfeld, who report for Testudo Times, Maryland’s student-run publication affiliated with SB Nation, went to Jones-Hill House to speak to players. Instead, they were reported for suspicious activity.
According to reports, officers approached the two students, questioned them, and recorded their student IDs before asking them to leave. In video footage described by USA TODAY Sports, an officer responded after the students explained their understanding of where they could stand. “I don’t disagree with you,” the officer reportedly said.
The reporters believed they were allowed to stand in the area because Maryland is a public university.
The encounter soon attracted attention because the students said they were attempting to do their jobs and speak with players after a significant development involving their university’s football program.
Maryland Athletics and the University of Maryland Police Department later released a joint statement addressing the incident.
The university said security around athletics facilities had increased because of heightened concerns about staff and player safety in recent weeks. According to the statement, an officer approached the two individuals, learned they were affiliated with a campus media organization, and recorded their student IDs.
The university also confirmed that no police report was taken.
“UMPD and Maryland Athletics respect the First Amendment rights of all journalists reporting in public spaces,” the statement read.
Maryland’s explanation addressed the increased security around the football program but did not provide further details about what specifically prompted the initial call. The students described their presence as an attempt to gather player reactions, while the university pointed to safety concerns surrounding the program.
According to The Spun, the reporters were later allowed to return to the facility. Rogalski said they did not obtain direct quotes from players during their initial attempt, although he later described the mood among the team as positive.
The incident, however, drew criticism online.
College sports writer Pat Forde responded to the incident by saying, “Absurd overreaction. Let the student journalists do their work,” according to The Spun.
The incident also drew attention because Maryland had faced criticism over its media-access policies during Locksley’s press conferences.
According to Awful Announcing, the athletics department had introduced a policy preventing reporters from asking follow-up questions during the coach’s media availabilities. Baltimore Sun reporter Taylor Lyons also raised concerns about his interactions with athletics staff, saying staff members had taken the microphone from him multiple times in the weeks before the incident.
Those earlier complaints do not establish that the police response was intended to restrict reporting. However, they provide context for why the encounter attracted attention from people following Maryland football and college sports media.
Locksley’s exit leaves Maryland with a fresh start
Locksley’s departure came after Maryland dropped to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play. He had served as the Terrapins’ full-time head coach since 2019, following a six-game stint as interim coach in 2015.
Locksley finished with a 39-54 overall record, a 17-52 mark in Big Ten play, and three bowl victories. Maryland enjoyed three consecutive winning seasons from 2021 through 2023, but the program struggled over the following two seasons, posting back-to-back 4-8 records before the latest losing streak.
Defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season while Maryland searches for a permanent replacement. The Terrapins are scheduled to host Illinois on October 31 after their Week 8 bye.
As Maryland looks for its next head coach, attention will remain on the team’s performance and the direction of the program. But the incident outside Jones-Hill House has added another issue to the conversation. The students said they were seeking player comments when police arrived, while the university cited increased security concerns and reaffirmed its respect for journalists reporting in public spaces.