Maryland Fires Ted Monachino After a Fifth Straight Loss: What It Means for Mike Locksley
Maryland fired defensive coordinator Ted Monachino on Sunday, one day after a 37-30 home loss to Rutgers dropped the Terrapins to 2-5 and extended their losing streak to five games. Head coach Michael Locksley announced the move in a team release. Monachino was in his second season.
The firing of a coordinator in late October is rarely about the coordinator. It is about the person who hired him buying time.
The Defense Earned This One
Maryland is allowing 33.3 points per game, worst in the Big Ten and around 127th nationally. The Terrapins have given up 219 points during the five-game slide, at least 35 in every one of those games, and 440-plus yards in each. They have allowed a 100-yard rusher in every conference game they have played.
Sunday’s collapse was the clearest exhibit. Maryland led Rutgers 23-13 late in the first half, then surrendered 24 unanswered points and 442 total yards to a team nobody confuses with an offensive juggernaut.
What makes it stranger is that Monachino’s first year worked. In 2025 Maryland allowed 26.5 points per game, tied for the Big Ten lead with 19 interceptions, finished second in the conference in takeaways and scored four defensive touchdowns. The personnel changed. The results cratered.
Locksley’s statement was the usual: “I appreciate Ted’s hard work and dedication to our program during his time in College Park.” Then the operative sentence: “As I evaluate our program, I believe this change is necessary.” Monachino has not commented publicly.
Who Calls the Defense Now
Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, already the co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach, will call the defense for the rest of the season. Inside linebackers coach Zac Spavital adds a co-defensive coordinator title. Maryland is on a bye before hosting Illinois on Oct. 31.
The Number That Actually Matters Is Locksley’s Buyout
Locksley is in his eighth season, hired in December 2018. He is 38-49 since taking over in 2019, and 10-21 since the start of 2024. He is 0-20 against ranked Big Ten opponents. Maryland has not won a Big Ten home game since October 2024, and has lost 12 straight conference games, the longest active streak in the league.
By any normal standard he would be gone. The obstacle is money. The Baltimore Sun has reported his buyout at just under $10 million if Maryland fires him before Jan. 1, and a little over $9 million after that, a difference of roughly $600,000. No contract document has been published, so treat every figure as an estimate.
Athletic director Jim Smith, who arrived from the Atlanta Braves in July 2025, retained Locksley last November and pledged more investment in talent acquisition. He has not spoken publicly about Locksley since September. ESPN reported Sunday that the school has not decided Locksley’s future.
Maryland Is Not Alone in This Half Measure
On Monday, Temple parted ways with defensive line coach Cedric Calhoun and stripped defensive coordinator Brian L. Smith of play-calling duties. The Owls are also 2-5. Head coach K.C. Keeler, who keeps his job, said of the loss that triggered it, “That was the single most embarrassing game I’ve ever coached.”
Two programs with identical records fired a defensive assistant in the same weekend rather than address the larger question. That is what buyout math does to October.
What Is Left of the Season
Maryland needs four wins in its final five against Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, USC and Penn State to reach a bowl game. That is not happening with this defense, and probably not with any defense.
Locksley is still talking like a man with a plan. “No one here has written off this season just yet,” he said after the Rutgers loss, and, “I’m here for these players. Super convicted.” Quarterback Malik Washington was asked about his coach’s future and gave the only honest answer available: “If the scenario arises, the scenario arises. We’ll deal with it.”
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
