Overview

• At Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas, coach Mike Locksley acknowledged that uneven NIL payouts fractured his 2024 locker room and led to Maryland’s worst season under his tenure.
• Locksley said conflicting compensation created ‘haves and have-nots’ among incoming freshmen and veteran players, undermining trust and cohesion.
• He has placed a sign at the locker room entrance declaring equal stakes for all and pledged to move his office into the locker room as a symbol of shared accountability.
• July 1’s Big Ten revenue-sharing model provides the financial framework he expects to narrow pay gaps and prevent future divisions.
• With backing from athletic director Jim Smith, the Terrapins enter 2025 with low external expectations as they pursue on-field improvement alongside cultural rebuilding.