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Alabama’s revolving door at offensive coordinator continues to turn as Mike Locksley is set to leave the Crimson Tide to take the head coaching job at Maryland, according to a report from WatchStadium.com on Tuesday night. The report states that Locksley has already agreed in principle to a deal and is expected to be introduced Thursday.
According to the report, Locksley will continue coaching the No. 1 Crimson Tide as it prepares for its matchup against No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 29. Earlier Tuesday, Locklsey earned the Broyles Award given to the nation's top assistant.
Alabama quarterback coach Dan Enos is a possible candidate to replace Locksley after previously serving as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas from 2015-17. Alabama's next offensive coordinator will be the school's fifth in three seasons.
In the past, Alabama has had mixed results with coordinators taking head coaching positions during the season. Last year, former defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt remained with the team for the duration of its national title run despite taking the head coaching job at Tennessee in December of last year. Former defensive coordinator Kirby Smart did the same in 2015 after taking the head coaching job at Georgia. However, former offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin had a difficult time balancing distractions after taking the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic and was eventually dismissed from his post a week before Alabama’s national title defeat to Clemson.
Locksley was promoted to offensive coordinator this season after spending the 2017 season as the Crimson Tide co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach. During his lone season in charge of the offense, he has helped the Crimson Tide gain 500 or more yards in 11 of its 13 games. Alabama ranks No. 2 in scoring offense, averaging 47.9 points per game. The Crimson Tide also ranks No. 7 in both total offense (527.6 yards per game) and passing offense (325.5 ypg).
At Maryland, Locksley will replace DJ Durkin, who was fired in October. Durkin, who posted a 10-15 record across two seasons with the Terrapins, was placed on administrative leave in August following an ESPN report revealing a culture of fear and humiliation within the Maryland program. He was fired a day after his reinstatement.
First-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada was named Maryland’s interim coach this season and led the Terrapins to a 5-7 record while finishing fifth in the Big Ten East division. Maryland was tied for No. 69 scoring offense (28.5 points per game) and ranked No. 78 in scoring defense (28.7 ppg).
Locksley was originally hired by Alabama as an offensive analyst in 2016. Prior to coming to Tuscaloosa, Ala., he served as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Maryland from 2012-15 before being named the interim head coach after the firing of Randy Edsall.
A native of Washington, D.C., Locksley has had plenty of success recruiting out of the DMV area (D.C., Maryland and Virginia). During his time at Alabama, he helped the Crimson Tide land five-star linebacker Eyabi Anoma (Baltimore, Md.) and is the lead recruiter for 2019 commits Darrian Dalcourt (four-star OL, Baltimore, Md.), Kelian Robinson (four-star RB, Washington, D.C.), Demarco Hellams (four-star ATH, Hyattsville, Md.), Shane Lee (four-star LB, Baltimore, Md.) and 2020 commit Chris Braswell (four-star DE, Baltimore, Md.).
Locksley also served as the head coach at New Mexico where he led the Lobos to a 2-15 record from 2009-11. Before that he spent four seasons at Illinois, working as the offensive coordinator/ tight ends coach in 2005 while keeping his coordinator duties and switching to quarterbacks from 2006-08. Lockley worked as the running backs coach/ recruiting coordinator at Florida from 2003-04 and held the same position during his first stint at Maryland from 1998-2002. During his first season with Maryland in 1997 he worked exclusively as a running backs coach.
Locksley played defensive back at Towson State from 1988-91. He coached defensive backs and special teams for his alma mater in 1992. The following year he took a job with Navy Prep where he served as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. In 1994, he kept his coordinator duties while switching over to defensive line. In 2015 he coached outside linebackers at Pacific. Locksley’s first job as an offensive coordinator came in 1996 when he coached wide receivers and tight ends for Army.
