The Maryland football team is in search of a new head coach after firing Mike Locksley last month. The Terps are already conducting interviews, and one candidate has emerged as a “top name to know.”

Per On3's Peter Nakos, that name is Brian Kelly. The former LSU and Notre Dame head coach interviewed for the job recently, and from the sound of things, it went quite well.

Kelly was last seen on the sidelines at LSU in 2025. He was fired after spending four largely disappointing seasons in Baton Rouge, finishing with a record of 34-14. In 2026, he served as a commentator and studio analyst for CBS Sports.

Prior to his stint with the Tigers, Kelly spent 12 seasons as Notre Dame head coach. He had a 92-39 record in South Bend and led the Irish to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game.

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Should Kelly get the job at Maryland, he would replace Mike Locksley, who was fired after a 2-5 start to the season. The Terps had a disastrous start to Big Ten play, losing their first three games to UCLA, Nebraska, and Ohio State by a combined 105 points. Locksley spent eight seasons as Maryland head coach. After back-to-back 8-5 seasons in 2022 and 2023, the Terps went 4-8 in each of the next two seasons.

Kelly had earlier been identified as one of the Terps' top candidates for the job, alongside former UCLA coach Chip Kelly and Indiana coordinators Bryant Haines and Mike Shanahan among others. It remains to be seen who else the Terps interview for the job, but Kelly could potentially be the candidate to beat at the moment.