After losing five consecutive games, the Maryland athletic department announced Wednesday that it was moving on from head football coach Mike Locksley. The school described the decision as a ” mutual” agreement between both parties.
When the Terrapins called a team meeting for Wednesday morning, the news had already been broken by multiple outlets that included OutKick, players were seen arriving to the football facility for an explanation from those in charge of moving the program forward.
Unfortunately, news like this rarely stays quiet until a team can gather privately. Reporters typically wait outside football facilities to speak with players and gauge their reactions after a head coach is fired.
Defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
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Head coach Mike Locksley of the Maryland Terrapins watches the team warm up before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 3, 2026. (Getty Images)
Yes, reporters will stand outside the football facility for player interaction
That was the case Wednesday, when two University of Maryland student reporters stood outside the athletic complex hoping to speak with players leaving the facility after learning about Locksley’s dismissal.
According to one of the student reporters, SB Nation’s Testudo Times journalist Nolan Rogalski, he and Jude Wilkenfeld believed they were permitted to stand outside the football complex because Maryland is a public university.
However, a Maryland staff member reportedly called police on the two student journalists for “suspicious activity.” Two officers then arrived at the scene and questioned the reporters about what they were doing outside the facility.
“For @testudotimes , @JudeWilkenfeld and I were outside Jones-Hill House trying to get players to comment,” Rogalski mentioned on social media. “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.”
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The students appeared to be doing nothing out of line. They were simply covering a major story unfolding on their campus and attempting to speak with players affected by the coaching change.
This time last season, there had already been seven head coaches fired in college football, and every single one of them led to reporters in some capacity trying to gather quotes from athletes who were affected by the news.
Somewhere, there was a breakdown in communication on Wednesday following the firing of Locksley.
Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley leads the team onto the field during a game against the UConn Huskies on Sept. 12, 2026, at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Terrapins release statement on police questioning students
Whether the school acted out of spite or genuinely did not know what the two students were doing outside the football complex is up for debate.
The University of Maryland Police Department recorded the names of Rogalski and Wilkenfeld but said no report was filed regarding the incident. The school and UMPD released a joint statement Wednesday evening emphasizing that they respect the First Amendment rights of journalists.
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The statement also cited heightened security concerns surrounding the football program in recent weeks as the reason police were contacted.
“UMPD was contacted today, Oct. 21, 2026, about two individuals who were standing outside of Jones Hill House,” the statement noted. “Due to heightened concerns for staff and player safety around the football program in recent weeks, there has been increased security around athletics facilities. A UMPD officer approached the two individuals, learned they were with a campus media organization, recorded student IDs, and no report was taken.”
“UMPD and Maryland Athletics respect the First Amendment rights of all journalists reporting in public spaces.”
Head Coach Mike Locksley of the Maryland Terrapins follows gameplay during the second quarter of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on Oct. 10, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. (Getty Images)
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The Maryland athletic department has recently been criticized over decisions made regarding press conferences involving the now former head coach Mike Locksley.
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Now they are searching for a new head coach, while also still making the news for actions involving reporters.