Mike Locksley

Maryland is expected to hire former New Mexico coach Mike Locksley as its offensive coordinator, according to a knowledgeable source. Locksley would replace Gary Crowton. The school is negotiating the terms of Crowton's release after one season. Locksley was 2-26 at New Mexico but is known as an aggressive recruiter. He is a former Towson University player and Maryland assistant. Locksley was dismissed by New Mexico during the 2011 season. Locksley had previously served four seasons as the Illinois offensive coordinator.

The Last Word is an occasional Baltimore Sun Q&A series that checks in with outgoing Maryland football and men's basketball players.                          Matt Furstenburg came to College Park in 2008 as a well-regarded prep school tight end . Five years later, the Flemington, N.J., native leaves Maryland as the Terps' top NFL draft prospect. Furstenburg, who finished his Maryland career with 60 catches for 769 yards and five touchdowns, is ranked the No. 11 draft-eligible tight end by CBSSports.com . The 6-foot-4, 242-pound prospect, who earned a bachelor's degree from Maryland in family science, was the fastest tight end at the NFL scouting combine with a 4.62 40. Furstenburg spoke with The Baltimore Sun this week about his Maryland career, his NFL prospects and more.

I have been critical of many things Maryland football coach Randy Edsallhas said and done over the course of his first season in College Park, but the moves he made in replacing his team's offensive and defensive coordinators are to be applauded -- on a number of fronts. First, new offensive coordinator Mike Lockley is a huge upgrade over any assistant Edsall has brought on when it comes to recruiting. Locksley, too, consistently raised the performance of his offense in the four years he held the coordinator's position at Illinois under Ron Zook.

COLLEGE PARK - They left Washington as friendly rivals, respecting each other's talents and having formed a bond from summer camps and scouting combines. They reunited as teammates briefly, first at the University of New Mexico and later at a junior college In Iowa. They are now back together, "like brothers" they say, hoping to help revive a Maryland football team that has won just six games in Randy Edsall's first two seasons. Each could play a significant role under offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, the coach and confidante who has figured in their lives for years.

Maryland is nearing agreement on a contract to hire  former New Mexico coach Mike Locksley as its next offensive coordinator, according to to two sources close to the negotiations. Locksley and the school are working out contract details. While the deal is not finalized yet, a press release is anticipated soon -- possibly as soon as Wednesday. Locksley would replace Gary Crowton, who is out after one season as Randy Edsall's top offensive assistant. Crowton is assuming a short-term, non-coaching administrative role.

Bonuses based on recruiting rankings and a $350,000 base salary are among the highlights in Maryland's contract with new offensive coordinator Mike Locksley. Locksley's deal, which was obtained by The Baltimore Sun and other media outlets Monday via public records requests, guarantees the former New Mexico coach $500,000 per year in salary and other compensation. Locksley's four-year deal, which began on Dec. 28, has two recruiting-related bonuses. If the Terps finish in the Top 40 of Rivals.com or Scout.com's recruiting rankings on Signing Day, Locksley will get $25,000.

COLLEGE PARK - Mike Locksley is 42 years old, a father of four and a $500,000-a-year offensive coordinator. Mike Locksley is also well versed in the art of freestyle rap. Just not well enough, apparently. "My kids will tell you I'm awful at it," Locksley said Tuesday, chuckling heartily before repeating once more for emphasis: "Awful at it. " He knows enough to know what he likes, though, and what he doesn't. So when he strolled through the Maryland locker room after one practice this spring, his first back in College Park in a decade, and heard defensive back Jeremiah Johnson's lyrical barbs aimed at his offense, he turned to the sophomore.

COLLEGE PARK - They left Washington as friendly rivals, respecting each other's talents and having formed a bond from summer camps and scouting combines. They reunited as teammates briefly, first at the University of New Mexico and later at a junior college In Iowa. They are now back together, "like brothers" they say, hoping to help revive a Maryland football team that has won just six games in Randy Edsall's first two seasons. Each could play a significant role under offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, the coach and confidante who has figured in their lives for years.

Arizona State blocked kicker Alex Zendejas' game-winning extra point to force overtime and then blocked another extra point in the second overtime as the Sun Devils upset Arizona 30-29 Thursday night to become bowl eligible (6-6). The Wildcats fell to 7-5. •Syracuse accepted an invitation to represent the Big East in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Orange (7-5) will face a Big 12 team on Dec. 30 in their first bowl game since 2004. • Steve Patton is out after 14 seasons as Gardner-Webb's coach.

Randy Edsallsaid he isn't looking back on what happened last season at Maryland, so I won't either. But that doesn't mean I won't be watching what Danny O'Brien is doing at Wisconsin this season, and I'm sure a few Terps fans were checking out the internet Saturday while Maryland was struggling to beat William & Mary at Byrd Stadium behind freshman quarterback Perry Hills. For those who hadn't heard what the former Maryland quarterback had done in his debut with the Badgers, it certainly had to make you think what O'Brien might have done in Mike Locksley's new offense in College Park rather than Matt Canada's new offense in Madison.

Record-breaking wide receiver Deon Long and offensive lineman Silvano Altamirano have signed letters of intent to play football at Maryland, coach Randy Edsall announced today. Long, a D.C. native and Dunbar High graduate, was the National Junior College Athletic Association's top-ranked receiver in catches (100), yards (1,625) and touchdowns (25). A first-team All-American, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore led Iowa Western Community College to the NJCAA national championship. “I am very excited about Deon joining the Terrapin family,” Edsall said in a news release.

Among the casualties this season for Maryland has been the playbook. Losing four quarterbacks to season-ending injuries means losing ability and depth. But it also means sacrificing complexity. You just can't expect a linebacker who wasn't playing offense during spring ball or August camp to digest too much, too soon. You've got to take a few steps back. “It's so unfair to throw a playbook on a freshman quarterback (Shawn Petty) that has had 2 ½ to 3 weeks to play the position,” offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said today as the Terps prepared for Florida State.

Maryland football coach Randy Edsall was asked this week whether he had ever started a true freshman on the offensive line. There was a long pause. If Edsall, in his 14th year as a head coach, had ever started a first-year line player before this season, he couldn't recall it. Which means true freshman Mike Madaras will make history of sorts when he gets his first start at tackle against visiting Wake Forest in Maryland's Atlantic Coast Conference opener Saturday. Redshirt freshman Andrew Zeller is also making his first start at guard.

 “Patience” is the buzzword around the Gossett Football Team House these days. That's what is required of the Terps, their fans and coaches this season with quarterback Perry Hills. Hills once again will encounter a defensive front on Saturday that he has never faced before. But you can't blame him for being a freshman, right? When fourth-year quarterback C.J. Brown was lost for the season in August, the Terps lost a player who brought needed experience to the team's most important position.

Editor's note: Each week, InsideMdSports.com provides this blog with a Maryland recruiting feature that previously appeared as premium content on its site. One of the Washington area's most highly touted junior football prospects, St. John's (D.C.) quarterback Will Ulmer , was in attendance at Byrd Stadium on Saturday. And while the Terps didn't pull out the win against UConn, Ulmer continues to gain interest in the hometown school. “It was very good," Ulmer said.

Randy Edsallsaid he isn't looking back on what happened last season at Maryland, so I won't either. But that doesn't mean I won't be watching what Danny O'Brien is doing at Wisconsin this season, and I'm sure a few Terps fans were checking out the internet Saturday while Maryland was struggling to beat William & Mary at Byrd Stadium behind freshman quarterback Perry Hills. For those who hadn't heard what the former Maryland quarterback had done in his debut with the Badgers, it certainly had to make you think what O'Brien might have done in Mike Locksley's new offense in College Park rather than Matt Canada's new offense in Madison.

Record-breaking wide receiver Deon Long and offensive lineman Silvano Altamirano have signed letters of intent to play football at Maryland, coach Randy Edsall announced today. Long, a D.C. native and Dunbar High graduate, was the National Junior College Athletic Association's top-ranked receiver in catches (100), yards (1,625) and touchdowns (25). A first-team All-American, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound sophomore led Iowa Western Community College to the NJCAA national championship. “I am very excited about Deon joining the Terrapin family,” Edsall said in a news release.

- There is a lot of interest among Maryland football fans about who the No. 2 quarterback will be this season, in part because there are still some doubts about the consistency and passing ability of the team's returning starter, junior C.J. Brown . While Brown has shown some improvement in those areas from where he was last fall, when he twice replaced former Terp star Danny O'Brien as the starter, the development of his two freshman backups...

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Before Maryland's nightmarish 2011 football season came to an end, wide receiver Kevin Dorsey already knew changes were afoot. Many of his teammates were about to flee for other college programs, and Dorsey wasn't too surprised to see the exodus. After ther Terps ' 2-10 campaign, he watched 13 players choose to transfer, including quarterbackDanny O'Brien to Wisconsin, left tackle R.J. Dill to Rutgers and right tackle Max Garcia to Florida. In the midst of the exit process for several of the players, Dorsey offered the kind of simple advice he thought was appropriate - make up your mind and live with your decision.