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The landscape of college sports is vastly different from what it was just a few years ago amid paying athletes.
With NIL deals running rampant, athletes are now picking and choosing schools simply based on where they can profit the most – and it’s already hurt at least one team.
Maryland football head coach Mike Locksley admitted that during the Terps’ 4-8 season, their worst since 2019, he had “lost my locker room” solely due to players getting paid.
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Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley walks along the sideline during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. (Robert Goddin-Imagn Images)
“I own the fact that I lost my locker room. And this is Coach Locks, the locker room king, telling you this landscape, I had to choose between paying young players who were coming in or reward the older players that have been through the fire, three bowl wins, and I tried to do both with limited resources. And that’s what you get: a locker room with the haves and have-nots,” Locksley told ESPN this week.
Locksley is hardly a novice in college sports. He’s entering his seventh season at Maryland and 10th overall. However, he is a novice in the NIL era, and he’s had to make some changes.
Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley during the second half against the Southern California Trojans at SECU Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images)
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“You go outside my locker room 1753280732 and I have a sign that says: ‘Leave your Louis belts, leave your financial statements and your car keys outside of this locker room, because in here, we’re all going to pay the same price for success or failure,'” Locksley continued. “If I’ve got to put my desk in that locker room, I will. A valuable lesson learned.”
“I call this a year of vulnerability for me, because I’ve been torn about what to say about our team when people ask; but I don’t know what type of team we have yet,” he added. “Some people, as a coach, it’s like a bad thing to say, ‘I don’t know.’ But it’s a good thing that I don’t know.”
The Terrapins had won three consecutive bowl games in as many of the previous seasons, combining to go 23-16 from 2021 to 2023. Locksley had completely turned around a program that went 3-9 in his first season there.
Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley questions a call during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. (Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)
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However, the locker room issues this past season were evidently clear.
Maryland opens up their season on Aug. 30 against Florida Atlantic. Six of their first eight games are at home.
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