Mike Locksley’s head coaching tenure at Maryland is over after eight seasons, and the search for his replacement could be a tenure-defining task for athletic director Jim Smith.
Smith has never been part of a major college coaching search. He previously worked for the Atlanta Braves’ business strategy department and was president of the Ohio State Alumni Association. Before that, he worked at Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment, the umbrella company overseeing the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United.
Here are some names to keep an eye on as Smith and his staff look for a new football coach.
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Keeping It in the Family
Henry Baker, Temple assistant head coach/interim defensive coordinator: A former defensive back for Maryland in the mid-1990s, Baker has also been an assistant coach for Locksley and helped produce multiple NFL draft picks during his coaching career. Earlier this week, he was named the Owls’ interim defensive coordinator, which will be his first experience calling plays.
Tyler Bowen, Ohio State offensive line coach: Just 37, Bowen played for Randy Edsall and then-offensive coordinator James Franklin at Maryland and later coached with both. He has experience as an offensive coordinator with Virginia Tech and spent a year in the NFL with the Jaguars. Bowen might not be ready for a head coaching role yet, but Smith’s ties to Ohio State could help.
Dennard Wilson, Giants defensive coordinator: The DeMatha graduate has never been a head coach, but he does have experience in both the college and pro game. He also worked in the Bears front office, which is an asset in the world of NIL and the transfer portal. Wilson is just 44 and may have his sights set on bigger jobs, given his career trajectory.
Scott Milanovich, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) head coach: A former quarterback at Maryland in the ’90s, Milanovich has an interesting resume. He’s never coached in the United States, having held jobs in NFL Europe and the Canadian Football League. But he has been successful, winning three CFL titles. He would face a steep adjustment to American college football, but it could be a risk worth taking.
Logical Candidates
Charles Huff, Memphis head coach: Huff might be the candidate. A native of Denton, Maryland, he has won at every program he’s led. He went 32–20 in four seasons at Marshall, improved Southern Miss by six wins in his lone season there and is currently 5–2 in his first season at Memphis. Huff was also Nick Saban’s running backs coach on Alabama’s 2020 national championship team. His track record of showing immediate results should be very attractive to a Terps program that hasn’t generated momentum in years.
Billy Napier, James Madison head coach: The Dukes might be the hottest coaching pipeline in the country. Curt Cignetti led Indiana to the national championship after going 52–9 in five seasons in Harrisonburg. Bob Chesney is off to a hot start at UCLA after leading the Dukes to the College Football Playoff a year ago. Napier turned Louisiana-Lafayette into an FCS powerhouse before struggling to replicate that success at Florida. He’s currently 7–0 at JMU, and may be ready to make the leap to Power 4 football again.
Jake Dickert, Wake Forest: Dickert fits the bill of someone the Terps should target. He’s had success at Washington State and Wake Forest, two places where it can be difficult to win. But Dickert is a Wisconsin native and would be a natural candidate for the Badgers if Luke Fickell gets fired. Does he want to stay east or wait out a chance at going home?
Wild Cards
Biff Poggi, former Charlotte head coach: Poggi is likely not a serious candidate for the job. He went 6–16 in two seasons at Charlotte, but before that he turned St. Frances Academy in Baltimore into a national high school powerhouse. He maintains strong ties to the area, and could be considered for a lesser role on the next coaching staff.
Arthur Smith, former Falcons head coach: Smith has ties to Jim Smith from both the Falcons and Ohio State. He’s also a local, having attended Georgetown Prep where he was an All-Mets selection in football. His NFL experience far outweighs his time in college, and it’s fair to wonder if he’d prefer an NFL job. And his Falcons tenure — three straight 7-10 seasons — wasn’t exactly inspiring.
Brian Fleury, Seahawks offensive coordinator: Fleury’s ties to the state rival Poggi’s and Huff’s. He spent one season at Maryland as a quarterback before transferring to Towson, and he later coached at both. But Fleury had never called plays before this season, and the Seahawks’ title defense is off to a rocky start. He’s an intriguing candidate, but would face a steep learning curve in College Park.
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