Mike Locksley has Maryland in the Mix as League Expands | Adam Breneman on Big Ten Football

coach appreciate you're doing this um I want to start with three straight bowl games for you guys I think you've proven at this point that Maryland's here to play in the Big 10 but now what does it look like to take the next step as a program man you get we get asked this next step question and and I always go back to this thing I saw Will Smith do the other day where he talked about when they made bad boys and they said it's like 90% there and they said well good cuz we're 50% away from the 100% so that's about where we are and I think we've taken our we've earned our uh Stripes here in this league and I think people now know it's not your same old Mama as Maryland when we show up but taking the next step for us is breaking status quo um to go from being a b to an a student like they said is a lot of work and you got to live differently trained differently it's about expanding the room and how we think and how we do it uh the changing landscape gives us an opportunity as well yeah you've made the decision to be Hands-On with the quarterbacks this season and really coach them yourselves you obviously been around a lot of great ones and done a great job coaching them what went into that decision well you know we're losing a great player in toia Tong ofala and and one of the great untold stories is that he and I met every day every pra after every practice at 10:00 at night in my office oneon-one and it was like I was the Sensei I made him teach me what the S the play was the the the plan was and and then I knew what he didn't know and regardless of who the coordinator was that was how we we always did it and and with him gone you know I've got to have a good feel for that room and making a decision on who's going to lead our program forward and so you know I got some of the weight off me I'm back in the QB room I'm running from drill to drill but I get I get a a bird's eye view and hands-on experience to know how they think why they think without having to wait uh like I kind of did when I when Leah was being developed in our system you brought in uh MJ Morris from men State who played played some good football there what have you seen from him since he's been on campus yeah I think with with MJ those game experiences man you just can't they're invaluable and because of the experience he's had and and and he's played in some games and has won some big games that jumps out first and foremost but um his knowledge and desire to want to be great you know we we've had a great off season of uh me being in a room I get to see firsthand the work ethic of these guys and he has the work ethic it takes to lead a program and you know we've got a great competition going on so I'm excited you the talk is is about how much more difficult the Big 10 conference is now but for Maryland leaving the Big 10 East and not being in the same division as Penn State Ohio State Michigan I don't want to say it's easier but it's a diff different Dynamic what's your outlook on the new look big 10 man it's a it's something that I proposed during the pandemic uh for the coaches that were in on those zooms at the time and I said listen put us all in one basket just do games based on how they come out of the basket and and and let's open it up I think anytime you expand a room and that's how I look at the way uh the non-d divisions when you expand a room you get new ways of thinking new ideas you get different perspectives and Views and and the the new look big 10 to me excites me because it allows a program like us to have the opportunity to break status quo yeah last question for you coach uh day one training camp you're meeting with your team what's going to be your message to your guys we're uh comfortable and confident and and not comfortable because we think we we ared we're comfortable because they say if you want to ever meet yourself go through some stuff and uh as a program we we know who we are we're in year six of me every person in this program was brought in by me it was hired by me and the identity is that we understand that uh we're not finished yet we're a program that's going to develop and and continue to try to find ways to think differently to to break up status quo in the Big 10 awesome coach appreciate it good luck this year than