“It's About Seizing The Opportunity”

Michael Locksley has steadily led the Terps to year-by-year improvement since taking over as the University of Maryland head football coach in 2019. Coming off a year in which the Terrapins won three consecutive bowl games over three years for the first time in program history, College Park is hungry for more.

Locksley and his player-led culture achieved many other feats in 2023, including completing their third straight winning season for the first time since 2001-03 and back-to-back eight-win seasons for the first time since 2002-03. But the Terps aren’t approaching 2024 with a sense of entitlement or uncertainty, as four new teams are joining the Big Ten Conference. 

Maryland football will work for everything it gets. At the 2024 Big Ten Conference Football Media Day on July 25, Locksley explained how Maryland football is relying on three core pillars to achieve its vision of a successful upcoming season. 

“I can tell you when you have big changes like we faced in college athletics the last few years, it creates angst, it creates anxiety [and] it can be frustrating,” Locksley said in his opening remarks. “But for us at Maryland, we see it as a great opportunity. When you look at how we've been able to navigate it, it starts with the three pillars that we kind of use from a vision standpoint.”

Pillar I

The first pillar Maryland football is leaning on in 2024 is its leadership from above. Locksley sees his program’s alignment with new teams entering the conference as something the entirety of the University of Maryland has already become comfortable with. 

“It's about seizing the opportunity,” Ruben Hyppolite II, a 2023 All-Big Ten linebacker, said. “That's all I wanted, that's how I got here [and] that's how I continue to have success. It's all about opportunity [and] taking it and running with it. … There’s going to be a lot of eyes on us this season.” 

Defensive lineman Jordan Phillips shared a similar sentiment.

“We're going to take it day by day of course, but we’re really just excited for the opportunity [to] come out here, play [and] compete,” Phillips said. “We have some amazing people, [and] amazing young men in our program. We have even more amazing coaches who put together great game plans for us on a weekly basis. We're just excited for the opportunity, and we're going to seize it.” 

The key to every successful program starts from the top. But camaraderie and shared experiences further instill confidence and a sense of direction. Locksley shares those things with his players and coaches, the President of the University of Maryland, Darryll Pines, and Barry P. Gossett's Director of Athletics, Damon Evans.

The trio navigated a changing world to get into their respective rooms. The University of Maryland was the first Power Five school with a Black president, athletic director and head football coach. After several years of working together, they opened up new ways of thinking and accomplishing things. 

“It's not just a diversity thing,” Locksley explained. “It's about bringing in different ideas, different ways [and] different regions. With the addition of those four teams and the way we set ourselves up at Maryland, we've been able to navigate these things at a really high level to the point where we have consistently become a team that people know has an opportunity to win.”

Pillar II

The second pillar Maryland is leaning on in 2024 is the community, especially the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area. It’s doing that by giving back and serving the foundation of the university’s supporters. 

Locksley is leading by example. As a native of Washington, he supported local communities this spring by hosting practices around the DMV. One of those practices was open to media and fans at Morgan State University’s Hughes Stadium in Baltimore. The event on April 6 was dubbed “Baltimore Day.” The team practiced alongside Morgan State, where both teams had a chance to work out and network. Many reconnected with former teammates and childhood friends from the area.

The Terps also traveled to Frank W. Ballou High School in D.C. — Locksley’s alma mater — for an open scrimmage on April 20. Ballou student-athletes, locals and some of Locksley’s former high school teammates showed up to watch Maryland practice. The event marked the first time an NCAA Division I football team played in South D.C. 

“Over the last season in itself, our players have done over 700 hours of community service,” Locksley said. “We feel like when you're being of service to your team and to your community, It makes it a lot easier to develop a winning culture because you understand here as a Maryland football player that nothing is going to be given to us. We're going to have to earn or take everything that we get.” 

Two Maryland football student-athletes were recognized for their community service. Hyppolite, a 2023 team captain, received the 2023 Maryland Athletics ICA Community Service Terp Award for student-athletes who excel in public service.

Hyppolite also received the 2024 Maryland Advocacy Award alongside senior defensive back Dante Trader Jr. The award is given to student-athletes who use their voices to champion a cause that promotes the betterment of their communities. Trader was even nominated to the Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team, which recognizes college football athletes for their unwavering commitment to community service and "good works" off the field.

Part of giving back to the community encompasses fielding a successful football program. Hyppolite says that’s one of the driving forces behind the team’s vision. 

“We definitely want to put our best product forward on Saturdays for the fans, for our families [and] for our supporters,” he said.

Pillar III

The final and debatably the most crucial pillar Locksley and the Terps are leaning on in 2024 is its player-led culture. Entering the new season, Hyppolite, Felton and Phillips are three returning student-athletes who exemplify the leadership qualities Locksley searches for.  

“I often times say that when it's a coach-led team, you're a good team, but when you're player-led, it gives you a chance to activate leadership from within,” Locksley said. “You have accountability, you have buy-in. It means a little bit more when your friend tells you that you're not living up to the standard than when your coach tells you.”

The trio of leaders are equipped with their own stories. In his fifth year with the Terps, Hyppolite was on board with Locksley’s vision to bring Maryland back to prominence on day one. He has been a mainstay on a defense that has produced seven NFL Draft picks in the last two years.

Phillips leads with his relentless work ethic. After transferring from Tennessee in 2022, he stepped into a starting role. Phillips, a redshirt sophomore, is one of the Terps’ younger leaders. He’s one of seven starters on defense returning in 2024. 

Felton waited his turn behind former star receivers Jeshaun Jones, Rakim Jarrett and Dontay Demus, showing tremendous resilience. As a senior wide receiver coming off a breakout 2023 campaign, Felton is ready to step into a role with increased responsibility. He says the program evolved into a player-led program because everybody preaches accountability and spends countless hours alongside each other.

“You got to have older guys like us setting the example,” Felton said. “Everybody's putting in extra work after practice [and] we're having player-led meetings. … When you have that type of accountability that's held throughout the whole room, everybody is looking to be great.”