Maryland football coaching search 2026: Candidates, hot board, names to watch from Terrapins experts

The InsideMDSports team just revealed their top Maryland coaching candidates after Mike Locksley was fired on Wednesday, Oct. 21 The first major move in the 2026 college football carousel came on Wednesday, Oct. 21, when Maryland fired head coach Mike Locksley. He leaves Maryland with a a 39-54 overall record and a 17-52 mark in the Big Ten. The Terrapins won just two Big Ten games since the start of the 2024 season and were off to a 2-5 (0-4 Big Ten) start this season before making the move. Who are the top names on the Maryland hot board? If you want the latest on the Maryland football coaching search, see what the proven team of experts are saying at InsideMDSports, the 247Sports affiliate that covers the Terrapins.

One name the staff has identified as a potential target on the Maryland football coaching hot board is Wake Forest head coach Jason Dickert. One of the hottest names early in this cycle, Dickert left Washington State for Wake Forest following the 2024 season, a year after the collapse of the Pac-12. He was 8-4 in his final year in Pullman. He's done a tremendous job thus for the Demon Deacons, going 14-5 (7-5 ACC) as he's midway through his second year at a place that traditonally has been tough to win