Mike Locksley looks upon Towson University fondly. The school gave him a lot — a chance to play college football, a degree in marketing and his first college coaching job. On Saturday, he’ll open Maryland’s football season against the Tigers.

“A young kid from the Southwest section of D.C. ended up going to school up the road, and it changed my life,” the coach said Tuesday. “[I was] the first person in my family to go to college, and it was mostly because of the game of football and Towson. I’ll be forever indebted to what Towson has done for me and my family.”

Locksley rose up the Tigers’ depth chart throughout his career and was named the program’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He graduated in 1991 and became a defensive backs coach a year later, kicking off a journey of over 30 years, eight schools and three stints with the Terps.

Coaching always seemed to be Locksley’s plan. He detailed how his experiences growing up in Washington influenced his decision to become a coach over 30 years ago to The Baltimore Sun.

“I’d go back to the cities and show the people there is a way out,” he said. “A lot of guys in my neighborhood were good athletes. They just never got a chance. Sports are a way out, but the kids need direction, need counseling. I can use my experiences. I’ve seen both sides.”

When he graduated from Ballou High School, Locksley was a self-described “late qualifier.”

“I was a guy that didn’t have a great SAT test score and also came into college with a little extra luggage,” he said. “... Going to Towson changed the lineage of my family. Very thankful for that opportunity.”

The season opener continues a trend of Maryland playing local teams in its nonconference slate. Two years ago, the Terps beat West Virginia and Howard. They also beat the Bison in Locksley’s inaugural season.

Scheduling local foes is an intentional choice, Locksley said. The coach added that he’s floated the idea of playing Morgan State in the future.

“I do think it’s good for the DMV area,” Locksley said Thursday. “It’s good for those teams to have opportunities to play. So, from a scheduling standpoint, if we are going to play a lower-level, lower-division team, I’d like it to be a local team because they bring fans. They bring people to the shell. And it’s good for this area.”

Two hours too much?

The Big Ten is requiring its schools to release which of their players are unavailable to play due to injury at least two hours before kickoff. Those reports debuted when Nebraska faced Minnesota. The reports can be found here.

Locksley, who said he was on a committee of coaches the conference consulted about the move, hinted at its connection to the increase in sports gambling.

“I didn’t understand it other than to kind of take pressure off of kids from people trying to gather information,” he said.

The Terps usually decide which of their players won’t be available during a Saturday meeting with coaches and the team trainer. Now, that information will be public earlier than before.

Maryland escaped fall camp without any major injuries, Locksley said Thursday. Sophomore cornerback Gavin Gibson, who could see time in the slot, suffered a lower-right-leg injury during the team’s second scrimmage Aug. 19, according to a source close to Gibson.

X-rays ruled out a broken bone. Although it’s unclear how long Gibson will be out, the source said it’s not expected to be a long-term issue.

Will the new policy prompt Locksley to release injury information earlier? Not so fast, the coach said.

“You got to wait till two hours before the game there. … You’ll have a really good idea,” he said.

Moving revelations

Roman Hemby lined up as a receiver on just 31 snaps last year. Twenty-five of those were in the slot. During Tuesday’s news conference, quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa said the breakout running back could spend more time split out during the 2023 campaign.

Locksley noted the Terps recruit running backs who can catch — Hemby nabbed 33 passes a year ago. He also said moving backs around could help his quarterback read the defense’s coverage — if the running back splits out wide and is covered by a linebacker, it’s likely man to man. If it’s a corner, expect zone.