Sitting on one of college football’s hottest seats entering the 2025 season, Maryland coach Mike Locksley explained Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days why the 2024 campaign was a major disappointment for the Terps.
Player compensation — with widely-dispersed haves and have nots — was a season-long issue that metastasized throughout his roster.
“You go outside my locker room 1753278780 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 said. “If I’ve got to put my desk in that locker room, I will. A valuable lesson learned.”
Division was created through various uneven NIL deals and fundraising as Locksley tried to combat the ever-changing landscape within college football.
Maryland stumbled to a 4-8 record, Locksley’s third losing season in six years, and the immediate health of the program was affected.
“I own the fact that I lost my locker room,” Locksley said during an interview with ESPN. “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.”
Taulia Tagovailoa saga was palpable
Locksley got his first taste of player-specific demands following the 2022 season after his multi-year starting quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa, came to him wanting more money while threatening a transfer. Tagovailoa had a $1.5 million offer on the table from an SEC program looking to poach Maryland’s top returning player.
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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/marylands-mike-locksley-says-nil-money-affected-2024-team-i-own-the-fact-that-i-lost-my-locker-room/
Author : Brad Crawford
Publish date : 2025-07-23 13:06:00
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