(Photo by Justin Ide / forThe Washington Post via Getty Images)
Desmond Howard has seen all of the lists and reports about potential Nick Saban replacements, and he thinks Mike Locksley isn’t getting enough love.
Locksley, an assistant under Saban at Alabama from 2016-18, just finished his fifth season as head coach at Maryland. The 54-year-old has led the Terrapins to three straight winning seasons and three consecutive bowl victories.
Howard laid out his case for Locksley’s candidacy on X/Twitter Thursday night.
“Seen a lot of names floated to replace Coach Saban, but one name is largely absent: Mike Locksley,” he wrote. “Saban disciple. Check out Alabama’s 2017-2018 O stats. Jalen, Tua, Mac all excelled under his RPO system. 3 straight bowl wins at UMD. I don’t think anyone has done more with less.”
Seen a lot of names floated to replace Coach Saban, but one name is largely absent:
Mike Locksley
Saban disciple. Check out Alabama’s 2017-2018 O stats. Jalen, Tua, Mac all excelled under his RPO system. 3 straight bowl wins at UMD. I don’t think anyone has done more with less.
— Desmond Howard (@DesmondHoward) January 12, 2024
Multiple reports have said Alabama plans to interview Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and current Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
In Football Scoop’s report this afternoon regarding those three candidates, it was said that Locksley, along with Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, had gained “some measure of traction” in the search.
Saban retired suddenly on Wednesday after an iconic 17-year run in Tuscaloosa.