Mike Locksley is unlikely to return to Maryland's football staff next season, multiple sources with knowledge of his situation told Inside Maryland Sports.

Mike Locksley Maryland

Locksley, who spent the past four seasons as the Terps' offensive coordinator -- and was their interim head coach for the second half of this season after Randy Edsall's firing -- has declined a job offer from new coach D.J. Durkin, sources said. It wasn't specified which job Locksley was offered, but with Durkin filling his previous spot with new offensive coordinator Walt Bell, Locksley opted not to take a lesser position and appears to be departing.

Locksley, though, has not officially resigned, making it unclear which side would be terminating the relationship barring an unexpected reversal.

Locksley lobbied hard for the head coaching job during athletic director Kevin Anderson's search but appeared to finish second to Durkin, who's quickly built an impressive staff including three former FBS-level head coaches and several coaches known as aggressive recruiters. That's been Locksley's niche at Maryland, where he spearheaded the program's "Maryland Pride"-branded local recruiting efforts, highlighted by the signing of five-star receiver Stefon Diggs in 2012 and verbal commitment of prized Bullis (Md.) quarterback Dwayne Haskins in May; Haskins shares a close relationship with Locksley and the strength of his verbal commitment is unclear.

On the field, meanwhile, Locksley's offense produced mixed results in the four seasons since Edsall hired him after his first year at Maryland. The Terps' roster lacked a pure passer at quarterback throughout, culminating in a school-record 29 interceptions thrown this season -- six more than any other Football Bowl Subdivision team. In 2013, though, C.J. Brown became the first Maryland quarterback to throw for more than 2,000 yards (2,242) and rush for more than 500 yards and Maryland totaled its third-highest passing yardage in program history.

Maryland averaged 29 points per game in Locksley's six games as interim head coach, highlighted by a dramatic comeback win in the season finale at Rutgers. That was the lone win as Maryland's head coach for Locksley, who went 1-5 after taking over a frequently-overmatched team, but the players appeared to try harder for him and were largely in favor of his hiring. But his 2-26 record in his previous head coaching job at New Mexico made it a tough sell for Anderson, who went with a rising star on the other side of the ball in former Michigan defensive coordinator Durkin. Durkin and Locksley made several recent recruiting visits together, and Durkin said there were ongoing discussions about working together.

Pittsburgh and Kentucky are two schools said to be considering hiring Locksley, a Washington native who has coached at Maryland for two separate stints, first as running backs coach from 1997 to 2002. Neither the school nor Durkin have announced Locksley's departure, perhaps became of his contractual situation is unresolved -- his contract continues through next season, but reliable sources said his exit appears to be a foregone conclusion.

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