Maryland's Mike Locksley says Terrapins know 'what it takes to win' | NBC Sports

coach coming off your third straight winning season what is it you want people to know about what you've built now at Maryland I mean it's not really about what I want them to know is what I want my team to believe and understand is that uh what we've been able to accomplish is a byproduct of a lot of sacrifice hard work uh we've had a lot of coaches and players that played a part in getting us there but the past doesn't Define what happens in the future and that you know it's time for us now we've shown that we've gone from a team that didn't go to bowls that consistently goes to bowl games now and it's not your same old Mama's Maryland um but to take this next step is the the biggest and the hardest and having been a part of winning national championships uh partake putting this in in in front of our players for them to understand like if I heard Will Smith say something about like the the bad boy movie they saw it and it was 90% there like that's we're at 90% and the guy producing this it which means we're 50% away from 100% and being great and that's that next step for us we shown we're a bold eligible Team every year the last three years but can we win the big game can we put ourselves in position in November to have some meaningful games that allow us to to make a championship so what are those things that you know you get to eight wins then it's like how do we find a way to get to 10 our players understand it's sacrifice right like to get from that 90% to that 100% or from that b to an a it's not just a 10% growth it's you got to do a lot of stuff different you got to make sacrifices where maybe you eat differently you know will says you sleep differently you change the environment of the people you're around and our players kind of get that and when I talk about this year's iteration being comfortable and confident it's not comfortable in that we've arrived it's we know who we are because we've been through some stuff together the last few years and we're going to take some of the failures we've had take the lesson from it apply it and and and let's see how the chips fall and I've heard you emphasize that in this conference you got to be able to run the football you got to be able to stop the run how do those units in the trenches look going into this season it couldn't fit at a better time for us um as we live a tal lose a talented player in toia Tonga Vala uh we've become a defensive lead team we got seven returning starters on that side uh when we come out of the locker room we look like a big 10 team now we've got length we got size we got the heavy-handed players and to know and understand when I say we know who we are we know what it takes to win in the Big 10 we know that if you want to be successful in November in the Big 10 you're going to have to deal with the elements it'll be some weather there'll be some win which means you got to be able to run the ball and the physicality of stopping the run and we've built our defense for for us to be able to do that November and now we've got to just go do it so you had rarified error having the same starting quarterback for so long since 2020 what kind of changes does that bring this year as you'll have someone new Under Center specifically for you as well well the system has shown know that it's bulletproof because before Tia this system you know had two a Tong of ioa playing it had M Jones it had jayen Herz uh it had juice Williams it's had some really talented players play in it and what Leah was able to do is be a part of building this foundation and I think the biggest impact you'll see uh with having a new quarterback is the Legacy that the old one left of how to prepare yourself how to put the work in in the off season and the the the structure NE necessary to be a winning quarterback in this league does being back in that room and hands- on with that room give you a little different energy does man it forc me to lose a bunch of weight you know I can't walk from drill to drill cuz I've I got to run from drill to drill like I tell my players and uh it's been almost like I feel like Benjamin Button because I don't feel like I'm getting old when you go back in that room it's so rejuvenating to be on the the front line of the day-to-day preparation uh we got a big decision to make in who our quarterback's going to be based on comp comp comptition and to have that bird's eye view of being in that room and doing the installs and making the corrections it gives me the ability to make the best decision for our team and it also I think it adds to where Josh now is a walk around guy that can work with the quarterbacks receivers running backs I did that at Bama my year I coordinated and it was one of the best things for our team you mentioned that room at Alabama with Jaylen Tua M Jones a lot of talent does that experience help going into an experience like this where four different guys competing every experience like that plays a part because whether it was that experience or whether the young quarterbacks we had to play at Maryland my last time I was here Perry Hills and and Caleb Ro two true freshmen that that were thrown into the fire uh at an early age and and so understanding how this competition needs to work and having been through the process of having to make these decisions on multiple occasions you know I feel really equipped to to put the best guy out there that gives the best chance to win the good news for those guys is they have some wide receivers to throw to we we'll have talent at the receiver position the tight end position it's the the unknown that I think will be the surprise position that people say wow I thought they lost all these guys well you know we had some talented young guys in Preston Thomas and Dylan Wade who both uh made some plays for us in the bowl game the running back room with Nolan Ray uh as a young player and what Roman HMI has done the last two three years in our program we're a defensive Leed team and I I got the defensive hat on now but uh once we figure out who the quarterback is there's no doubt in my mind Josh will put us in the best possible position offensively to have to be able to score enough points to win games what kind of growth have you seen from TY Felton who we've seen it on the field that answers for itself but as a leader yeah that's the part you know we did a unique thing when we had this little window uh during the fourth July where players had a discretionary four days off and guys like Ty and Dante Trader and a few other guys went down to exos and Pensacola on their own you know it's one of the benefits of nil money now they can afford to pay for flights and and you know we talk a lot about being a pro before you're a pro and I one of the things I learned from and I use the analogy Grandma's chocolate chip cookie recipe from my time at Bama with Coach Sabin is seeing the guys like Julio Jones Come Back doing Spring ball and summer workouts and these guys are witnessing a pro how he practices on his own he trains there's no coach pushing him and then he's challenging him to live up to the standard of the that he left for the Bama programing so sending tie down there gave him a chance to see and compete because Pro guys are there training as well and I think it'll help his confidence because Tai is a really talented player he's waited his turn behind some talented guys to maybe not get the accolades that he should have received but I expect a big year out of tha felon this year and does have an like Stefan Diggs who Tai's run routes with I mean is that a pretty special opportunity for their growth too I mean anytime and again it goes back to the Julio story to have Steph come back hold his Camp there uh he's one of those guys that's sneaking into the indoor facility at 12 o'clock because Steph doesn't sleep but he works and so uh for Tai and our young receivers and the other players that play that position to have a chance to work with a pro like Stefon man it's it's an invaluable experience that I call it paying it forward because the experiences that Steph went through he can share with Tai and maybe maybe create an opportunity for Tai to not maybe run into some of the roadblocks he ran into and that's why we talk a lot about uh committing and being invested in the community around our program the National Coalition of minority coaches what has it been like for you building that and what has it done specifically for those coaches yeah it's been a great experience um again with the same thought process of paying things for forward you know I'm on the back back nine of my career I'm I'm I'm about 10 years away from putting these up and doing what you do and and to pay it forward through the Coalition and you know I tell people the story all the time I grew up in an era where I watched John Thompson at Georgetown I grew up in DC when he became the first blackhead coach to win a National Championship at the division one level of any kind and then I saw him March off the court and and stand and for prop 48 for minorities that had trouble getting in the college because of the discretionary of the SAT scores and and and he walked off the court and stood up for me to have the opportunity to go to college and so to see how he was part of a foundation that built the black coaches association which kind of met the needs of all black coaches in any sport you know football is the engine it drives the train for most universities and the money involved in it um to create a organization that I hope can withstand 100 Years of time and know that it was a part of paying forward and preparing promoting producing uh the next generation of Coach lockley coach Thompsons uh if if I can leave it better than what it was when I came then I feel like I I'll have a chance to be successful in whatever it is I choose so four new teams in this conference a big expansion what are as exciting as it is what are some of the challenges especially for a program like you that you travel to Oregon this year it is what it is and I always look at whenever you expand the room um whether it's in the diverse situation whether it's adding new teams based on the coast it gives you an opportunity not a challenge the opportunity to try new things or to learn a new way to do things hey we got to go to Oregon so guess what I'mma call NFL teams that travel from east to west and what did you do it it opened up the door for me so when you expand a room it opens up the door for new ways of thinking new ways of attacking New Perspectives on things and it's funny because this is a political year you think of you know where we are politically but if it was more like a locker room like we're in now and and you approached it that way we'd be in a such a better place and that's what I love what love about the game of football does that excited mindset also translate to the college football playoff expanding it's expanding expanding the room isn't just about diversity and race it's bringing in people with different ways of doing it or thinking or adding more people which allows the room to grow you know when you go from 4 to 12 that's a lot of opportunities for places like the University of Maryland you think of you know the NCAA basketball tournament and how the first round of uh 64 that opening round of games one and 16 and what can happen on one game day if you're given that opportunity to to get into a playoffs it's a whole new ball game and having been a part of three National Championship uh opportunities at at Alabama I know what it takes and I'm excited about the the fact that we're in a league that we will now because of how we're set up we'll have an opportunity to do the things and if we can make the necessary sacrifices we may find ourselves in the playoffs you're one of the longer tenur coaches in this conference now I know it's crazy right when you say it out loud what does it mean to you what's your favorite thing about coaching this program it's that I grew up a kid rooting for it um I I grew up a turp fan um I'm a I'm a homer you know I I I've always wanted to be the head coach here when I got into coaching and to now have the ability to have an impact on the the history of this this this program you know I worked under Ralph frian who's one of The more well-respected I've become really close with Coach Gary Williams our former basketball coach here I got to know coach dyel Lefty and over the years and I can tell you man it's a a a great program we our location is second to none when it comes to being able to develop you on and off the field people don't understand being in a location like the DMV gives us a chance to build a kids resume that you can't do when you're in college towns and that's something that we've got to you know sell and and and keep these top players right here at home thanks coach appreciate you