Terps' Locksley: Lost locker room amid pay divide

LAS VEGAS -- Maryland manager Mike Locksley admitted Tuesday that helium "lost" the locker country successful 2024 implicit which players to compensate, a origin that led to the Terrapins' worst play since Locksley's debut successful 2019.

The Terrapins finished 4-8 and dropped each but 1 of their Big Ten contests past fall. Maryland had much players selected successful the NFL draught (six) than wins, arsenic it mislaid its last 5 games, each by 14 points oregon more. Locksley attributed portion of the struggles to the changing fiscal scenery successful assemblage football, wherever Maryland had to marque decisions connected however to compensate players done NIL deals and yet created immoderate divisions.

"I ain the information that I mislaid my locker room," Locksley told ESPN. "And this is Coach Locks, the locker country king, telling you this landscape, I had to take betwixt paying young players who were coming successful oregon reward the older players that person been done the fire, 3 vessel wins, and I tried to bash some with constricted resources, and that's what you get, a locker country with the haves and person nots."

Locksley, who is entering his seventh play astatine Maryland and 10th wide arsenic an FBS coach, called the acquisition "a invaluable lesson" successful however to negociate players, relationships and expectations. Maryland won 3 consecutive vessel games nether Locksley from 2021 to 2023.

"You spell extracurricular my locker country [now] and I person a motion that says: 'Leave your Louis belts, permission your fiscal statements and your car keys extracurricular of this locker room, due to the fact that successful present we're each going to wage the aforesaid terms for occurrence oregon failure,'" helium said. "If I've got to enactment my table successful that locker room, I will. A invaluable acquisition learned."

Locksley said the House colony and the wealth Maryland distributes to its players person allowed him to absorption much connected the locker country alternatively than outer fundraising. Maryland volition participate the play with questions astatine backmost -- wherever UCLA transportation Justyn Martin, redshirt freshman Khristian Martin and decorated incoming freshman Malik Washington, ESPN's No. 134 wide recruit, volition vie -- and different positions.

"I telephone this a twelvemonth of vulnerability for me, due to the fact that I've been torn astir what to accidental astir our squad erstwhile radical ask, but I don't cognize what benignant of squad we person yet," helium said. "Some people, arsenic a coach, it's similar a atrocious happening to say, 'I don't know.' But it's a bully happening that I don't know."