Maryland QB Malik Washington draws rave reviews: ‘He is as advertised’

COLLEGE PARK Freshman quarterback Malik Washington does not seem to get much grief from his Maryland teammates, even avoiding the potentially derisive nickname of Rook.

There is a good reason for that, according to redshirt sophomore running back Nolan Ray.He doesnt act like one, he said.

So we dont really need to call him that.Admiration and respect were the running themes of comments made by Terps veterans about Washington, the 19-year-old Glen Burnie resident and Spalding graduate who was billed less than a year ago as the No.

5 quarterback prospect nationally and the No.

50 overall recruit.

He is competing with redshirt junior and UCLA transfer Justyn Martin and redshirt freshman Khristian Martin to open the season as the starter when the team welcomes Florida Atlantic to SECU Stadium on Aug.

30.None of the quarterbacks spoke during Wednesdays media day although they might be available during the teams next session with media.

Their teammates were more than willing to fill the void, especially when the questions centered on Washingtons comfort level even before the formal start of his collegiate career.He is as advertised, redshirt sophomore tight end Dorian Fleming said.

Hes good.

He can get out of the pocket, make throws.

I havent seen him make a throw he cant make.Added senior wide receiver Jalil Farooq, who arrived in Maryland in the offseason after spending his previous four years at Oklahoma: For a guy to come in at his age and have that much composure and be so poised back there, you cant really teach that.

He has raw talent.

Hes a guy.

So Im really excited to see what he does.

Hes one of those guys Im really excited to watch.Washington has the credentials to replace Billy Edwards Jr., who transferred to Wisconsin after the Terps disappointing 4-8 campaign last fall.

Washington became the first quarterback in Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference history to pace his team to three consecutive titles and finished as the leagues career passing leader.Washington might have repeated as The Suns male Athlete of the Year if he had played basketball in the winter.

Instead, he elected to graduate from high school early and enroll in College Park in January to get a head start on his academic and athletic education.In Marylands spring game, Washington completed 12 of 18 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns.

He outdueled Justyn Martin, who connected on just 6 of 16 throws for 69 yards and mixed a touchdown with an interception, but both were surpassed by Khristian Martin, who went 16 of 23 for 269 yards and four touchdowns and was named the games Most Valuable Player.As significant as those performances were, offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton said he expects the quarterbacks to face a stiffer challenge during the preseason as the Terps defense turns up the heat under the watchful eye of defensive coordinator and former Ravens outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino.Terps quarterback Malik Washington became the first true freshman to speak with the media in the Mike Locksley era this spring.

Washington's teammates say he's more mature than the typical freshman.

(Taylor Lyons/Staff)Now that were going into camp, I feel like were going to see more from our defense, and were going to have more game situations, and theres more continuity among the personnel that we have on the offensive side of the ball, Hamilton said.

We want to see if our guys in the quarterback room are ready to take that next step and take more control of what we want to do within our offensive system.Coach Michael Locksley said one key to Washingtons development will entail placing him in uphill situations that he must climb out of.

He cited the example of golfer Tiger Woods deliberately throwing balls into sand traps to practice how to get out of them.Weve got to create that environment in practice the next 25 days for all these young guys so that we can maybe get some of the failure and we can build some of the experiences that they will be able to lean back on, he said.

Thats been a great benefit for us having a guy like Malik here early, is that we went through a spring with him, having some of these really talented high school guys.

Weve been able to get them some of the experience that hopefully will allow them when they do make mistakes to bounce back from them a lot quicker.If Washington is supposed to be cowed by unfavorable conditions, he hasnt shown it.

Ray said he has yet to see a freshman as composed as Washington is.He doesnt seem like a freshman at all, he said.

Hes comfortable, hes confident, hes mature.

Hes a great guy, and he brings great energy to our team.

He always has a smile on his face, and hes a really hard worker.One teammate who isnt the least bit surprised by Washingtons seemingly effortless transition to college football is redshirt junior safety Lavain Scruggs, whose senior year at Spalding coincided with Washingtons freshman debut.

Scruggs recalled an early practice when Washington looked off Scruggs and then delivered a sidearm pass to a receiver a la the Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes.I was like, Wow, Scruggs said.

That really made me think, Oh yeah, hes going to be that guy in the future.

And once I left, he stepped up, and he kept progressing.Related ArticlesMaryland football players are getting paid.

Heres how theyre spending it.Maryland football to embrace the unknown amid pessimism from outsidersMaryland lawmakers resubmit bill inspired by former Terps OL Jordan McNairMaryland alumni team gets knocked out of TBT by West Virginia alumni squadMaryland mens basketball unveils 2025 nonconference scheduleWashington completed another off-balance throw in practice in the spring, which caught the attention of Farooq as he watched from the sideline.Ive watched him do a little sidearm, and it was a Wow moment for me, Farooq said.

It was a sidearm no-look.

He looked it off and then put it in the window.Still, Locksley isnt tipping his hand on if any of the candidates have taken a lead in the competition, saying he and the coaches will know the starters identity on the Sunday before the season opener.You will know when we walk out and the guy that takes the first snap because theres a lot of things that come into play, and I can tell you that to stand up here and say that I know who the guy is I know I got a room of really talented quarterbacks, he said.

The three that really shined for me, Justyn Martin, Khristian Martin, Malik Washington, all similar skill sets, all similar builds.

We only need one genre of offense with this group because theyre all very similar.

And Im really excited about looking forward to the competition that Im about to see here in the next 25 days.Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at [email protected], 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun..

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