Maryland is using its open week to shake up the defensive staff.
Head coach Mike Locksley announced Sunday that defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino has been relieved of his coaching duties.
In a statement, Locksley thanked Monachino and added, "As I evaluate our program, I believe this change is necessary."
The move comes one day after a 37-30 home loss to Rutgers.
The Scarlet Knights outscored Maryland 17-0 in the third quarter and erased a 10-point halftime deficit, winning the series for a third straight year. The Terps are now 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the Big Ten.
Maryland opened the season with a 62-0 win over Hampton and a 38-14 win at UConn. Five straight losses followed: 35-26 to Virginia Tech, 54-3 to UCLA and 48-23 at Nebraska, then 45-16 at Ohio State and Saturday's loss to Rutgers. That's 219 points allowed over the five-game skid, nearly 44 per game.
The 2025 numbers looked different. Maryland ranked second in the Big Ten and 15th nationally with 21 takeaways, and led the conference and ranked third nationally with four defensive touchdowns in Monachino's first season. The Terps still finished 4-8 for a second straight year.
Locksley hired Monachino in March 2025. He came to College Park from North Carolina, where he was a defensive analyst in 2023 before being promoted to defensive line coach for 2024. He has 33 years in coaching, 16 of them in the NFL.
His resume runs through every level. He started as a high school coordinator at Pacific HS and Hannibal HS in Missouri, then made college stops at TCU, James Madison, Missouri State, Boise State and Arizona State before coaching the defensive line for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2006-09.
He spent six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens coaching outside linebackers and linebackers, then served two years as Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator in 2016-17. After a year as a senior defensive analyst at Missouri in 2018, he coached outside linebackers for the Chicago Bears (2019-20) and Atlanta Falcons (two seasons).
Monachino won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2013, and he has coached pass rushers Terrell Suggs, Khalil Mack and Elvis Dumervil.
Maryland has not yet said who will call the defense. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, in his third season, is co-defensive coordinator and also associate head coach for defense and cornerbacks coach.
Firing a coordinator in the bye week is a tale as old as time. It gives whoever takes over two weeks of practice and meeting time before the next kickoff, which is October 31 against Illinois at SECU Stadium. It also tends to raise more questions about the head coach than it answers.
Those questions were already loud. Locksley is 0-20 against ranked Big Ten opponents and his buyout is reportedly north of $9 million. Athletic director Jim Smith hasn't spoken publicly about Locksley since the UCLA loss in September, when he said the two were aligned on the work ahead. Asked about his job status after Saturday's loss, Locksley said, "I'm here for these players, super convicted."
The Terps need four wins in their final five games to reach a bowl.
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