Report: Alabama OC Mike Locksley expected to be named head coach of Power 5 program on Thursday

Alabama OC Mike Locksley has been rumored to be a candidate at a few different schools this offseason, but now it appears he’s officially heading back home to the Washington D.C. area.

On Tuesday, Stadium’s Brett McMurphy reported that Locksley would be named the head coach at Maryland — a program he once worked for.

As you can see below, McMurphy reports that the school is expected to introduce Locksley on Thursday:

Alabama OC Mike Locksley will be Maryland’s coach, sources told @WatchStadium. He will be introduced at school Thursday. "Maryland football has been through unique hardships & needs Mike Locksley as much as he may need to be home at Maryland,” source said https://t.co/CdWJ9M8fpo

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 5, 2018

What this means for Alabama in the College Football Playoff this year remains to be seen. Jeremy Pruitt stayed with the team for its title run last year even after being named Tennessee’s head coach, but Lane Kiffin left for Florida Atlantic (at Nick Saban’s urging) a couple of years ago before the title game.

Locksley served as an assistant at Maryland from 1997 to 2002 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as the team’s interim head coach for a brief spell in 2015.