Trouble Mounts for Mike Locksley After B1G Insider’s Tough Revelation as Maryland HC Forced to Address Kevin Willard Controversy

The 2023 Maryland was the stuff of dreams on defense, holding teams to 22.5 ppg. Add to that 17 interceptions. All of that vanished in 2024. Even though the DC Brian Williams had seven of his starters back. The change? They allowed 30.4 points per game. Ranked 17th in the Big Ten. Naturally, something needed to change. Before the head coach, Mike Locksley, could take any action after a disappointing 4-8 season, Jacksonville State announced the hiring of Williams as their DC. Now, Locksley has also made his move. With the appointment of former Ravens linebackers coach Ted Monachino.

Monachino’s resume is filled with stints at Arizona State, Boise State, and Missouri State. While the Ravens coaching staff position is a prominent one, we last saw him at the Tar Heels, where he spent two seasons. First, a defensive analyst. Then as a D-line coach. Mike Locksley also brought in Pep Hamilton, a former NFL offensive coordinator with several stops at the pro and college levels, to regulate a big chunk of the Terrapins’ offense. But does this Monachino move look like a win for Locksley? Well,

Zack Guggenheim of the Big 10 hurdle football smells obscurity. “My issue with this hire, though, is the process,” Zack Guggenheim said. “That’s, that’s the biggest, my biggest issue. You get someone who’s more sure. And I get Maryland is not—it’s not the greatest job in the world, but you’re in the Big Ten. You’ve got resources. Why are we getting someone who’s had one year of defensive coaching experience? Why are we getting left at the altar for a group of five schools? That’s my big question.”

Monachino’s recent stints may not imbibe much confidence, considering he wasn’t even serving as the DC. However, his coaching experience can’t be doubted. This is the coach who contributed to that legendary Ravens defense that eventually won the Super Bowl in 2012. Players like Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervill won All-Pro honors under his tutelage. In that sense, Locksley may know what he’s doing. It’s a fresh look on both defense and offense.

Mike Locksley addresses the intense controversy with Kevin Willard

There has been some long-standing gossip over Maryland men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard and the University of Maryland. Willard was negotiating a new contract that made him one of the highest-paid coaches amidst an NCAA Tournament, but Athletic Director Damon Evans is no longer in charge. While Willard intended his wish to be with the Terrapins, things still stand at a crossroads between the two sides.

Willard says he wants more NIL money and help to build a better foundation at Maryland. When asked about the significance of Willard’s claim, football head coach Mike Locksley has, however, turned on a polite instinct and a no-nonsense tongue and dished his opinion on it. Locksley doesn’t really think the same. He rather believes that building a NIL strength is a collective effort churned from various sources.

“I have no comment… I’ve learned in 33 years that there are no utopias.. As I’ve stated, since I’ve been here, I’ve gotten the resources that I need to build a foundation. Every family has their issues and their dirty little secrets, but I’m of the opinion that those are handled individually, behind closed doors,” the Maryland head coaches already started to express passive heat with the new OC in the room. We will see how the two will slide into the offense going forward.