Big Ten QB Tiers: Where does Malik Washington Rank Ahead of Year Two?

rwelchie3
19 hours ago
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There is no controversy in the quarterback room for Maryland entering 2026 as sophomore Malik Washington looks to improve from his dazzling freshman campaign. The sophomore came to College Park last year with all the hype in the world as top-50 recruit in the nation and flashed serious potential throughout the year after winning the job in fall camp. Analysts and pundits across the country recognize the potential in Washington and that there is still more skill to tap into with the former Archbishop Spaulding product. In year one, Washington showed immense arm talent specifically with accuracy as well as showcasing some running ability.

The landscape of the Big Ten has been changing at the quarterback position over the last few years with the introduction of the west coast teams inviting a new flare at the position for the conference. The NIL era has also allowed for the conference’s richer teams to be able to snag big ticket quarterback transfers and high schoolers to bring even more talent into the Big Ten. So where does Malik Washington stack up within the Big Ten quarterback landscape? We will take a look at the starting quarterbacks for all of Big Ten teams and see where Malik compares.

Tier I: The Elite Tier

Dante Moore – Oregon

Julian Sayin – Ohio State

Arguably two of the best quarterbacks in the country reside in the Big Ten. Dante Moore could have found himself in the top 10 of last year’s draft had he exited, but the junior returns to Eugene chasing the Ducks first title in program history. Moore completed 72% of his passes for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns, and had 10 interceptions. Moore has all the tools of a Day 1 draft pick and will look to improve in the big games; as in his two losses to Indiana he had 4 turnovers and was sacked 9 times.

Julian Sayin enters his second starting year as a steady arm who uses his plethora of weapons to their capability. Sayin is extremely accurate completing 77% of his passes last season, good for the third-highest in FBS single-season history. Sayin was reluctant to get on the move last year but his accuracy led to 32 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Another potential high draft pick at the next level is aided by superstar Jeremiah Smith at wideout and the next great Buckeye receiver in 5-star Chris Henry Jr. entering the fold.

After one year, Washington does not have the results or pedigree to match with the Big Ten’s best just yet. The underlying potential could reach these heights, but more is needed from Washington to be in the top tier.

Tier II: Flashes of Elite

Jayden Maiava – USC

Demond Williams Jr. – Washington

The next tier in the Big Ten quarterback landscape is also a smaller tier. Maiava enters his senior season at USC with an impressive 12-5 record in his career. The Trojan signal-caller has shown flashes of elite play with 3,711 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions last season. Some inconsistencies showed up with the inability to fully command the offense in big spots versus Notre Dame and Oregon last year. Still, the senior was constantly leading USC to points last season and will have chances against Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana this season.

Williams is the premier dual threat quarterback in the Big Ten. Some offseason flirting with Lane Kiffin at LSU showed how the country views the junior and Washington was able to retain the multi-purpose quarterback. He accounted for 3,676 yards last season and 31 total touchdowns which included 6 on the ground. Williams can take over games such as last year versus Rutgers where he had 402 yards passing and another 136 on the ground, but sometimes his arm talent can only go so far.

Malik Washington is arguably in this tier of quarterbacks right now, but these two have just proven more at this point in Washington’s career. Williams came into SECU Stadium last season and beat Washington with a stunning comeback and Maiava has been proven to win games. Washington has similar to superior arm talent as these two but results are king.

Tier III: Steady Players with More to Give

Josh Hoover – Indiana

Rocco Becht – Penn State

Malik Washington – Maryland

This is an appropriate tier for Malik Washington to land in entering this season. The two other quarterbacks on this tier are two seasoned veterans entering the Big Ten with a lot of experience elsewhere. Hoover enters from TCU where he was one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the portal. Hoover threw for 9,629 yards and 71 touchdowns in three seasons in Forth Worth but had issues with turnovers (33 in 36 games). Hoover is a solid quarterback arm but has likely reached his ceiling unless Curt Cignetti has more quarterback magic.

Like Hoover, Becht enters Penn State with a lot of experience. Following head coach Matt Cambpell from Iowa State, Becht has been doing it for a long time in Ames. Starting 39 games over three seasons, Becht has passed for 9,274 yards, 64 touchdowns, rushed for 19 scores, and has 7 game winning drives under his belt. His production dropped off last season after a career year in 2024 and completion percentage has always been an issue with a career percentage of 60.7%.

Washington has potential to pass these players but he has not shown enough yet. The talent and solid production in year one lands him in a class with these players when combining pure talent and results. Washington has elite potential, but struggled to put consistent numbers during the middle of the season. Problems stemmed from the offensive line, receivers, and running backs but a jump in leadership and play is still needed to take the Terrapins where they want to be in 2026.

Tier IV: There is Something Here

Bryce Underwood – Michigan

Drake Lindsey – Minnesota

Colton Joseph – Wisconsin

Nico Iamaleava – UCLA

Anthony Colandrea – Nebraska

The next tier is quite large and is for lack of a better term, the middle of the pack in the conference. However, all of these players have shown flashes of talent throughout their careers. Starting with Underwood, the former #1 overall recruit last season had crazy expectations. Unsurprisingly, these were not met under the Sherron Moore coaching staff as Underwood disappointed with 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions (7 of which came after November 1). Still, it wasn’t an outright disaster as he still showed signs of his elite potential and has the talent to skyrocket up this list.

A lesser known first-year starter was Drake Lindsey for Minnesota. The red-shirt freshman completed 63% of his passes, with 18 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. He finished the last five games with a TD/INT ratio of 8/0 and was a steady presence. He did struggle immensely against some of the Big Ten’s best defenses in Ohio State, Iowa, and Oregon. Some flashes of steady play but not too much potential compared to the likes of Washington and Underwood.

Luke Fickell will try again to keep a transfer quarterback healthy after failing with Billy Edwards, Tyler van Dyke, and Tanner Mordecai. Enter former Old Dominion quarterback, Colton Joseph who has electrified the Sun Belt the last two years. A dual-threat weapon, Joseph threw for 4,251 yards and 32 touchdowns over two seasons and added 1,654 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground. Completion percentage and pocket presence was an issue the past few years but there is potential with Joseph.

Iamaleava left a lot on the table in first year in Los Angeles. The season was derailed after an 0-3 start with their head coach and offensive coordinator being fired in September. The junior showed flashes of elite gunslinger potential during his freshman year at Tennessee which is enough to get him to this spot after only throwing for 1,929 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions last year. New coach Bob Chesney will perhaps bring his elite offensive scheme from JMU to Westwood to help revive Iamaleava to his potential.

Colandrea is a name that may be familiar with Maryland fans as he started for Virginia in the 2024 game against Maryland in Charlottesville. Colandrea is a mobile gunslinger who can make incredible plays but also some silly ones. The style worked last season at UNLV under Dan Mullen; leading the Rebels to a 10-win season throwing for 3,459 yards, 23 touchdowns, 649 rushing yards, and 10 rushing touchdowns. The numbers were not as flashy during is time in the ACC and poor decision making is a big factor in his game.

Entering 2026, Malik Washington is better than this tier of quarterbacks. This is for a variety of reasons including overall potential and skill, better production last year, and results versus superior competition. These players have potential to still be better than this tier, but for now are the middle of the pack.

Tier V: Michigan State Quarterback Carousel

Katin Hauser – Illinois

Alessio Milivojevic – Michigan State

Aiden Chiles – Northwestern

A trio of former and current Michigan State quarterbacks round out tier five. Hauser enters Illinois having to replace the solid play of Luke Altmeyer in Champaign. Hauser began his career in East Lansing before transferring to East Carolina for the past two seasons. Hauser was productive at ECU completing 66% of his passes last year for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns along with 9 more on the ground. Hauser was mediocre during his first run in the Big Ten with only 1,130 yards 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions during 7 starts. A career revitalization occurred at ECU but his track record in big conferences leaves a lot to be desired.

Alessio Milivojevic won the starting job from Aiden Chiles for the last four games of last season for Michigan State. The redshirt freshman provided spark for the Spartans with 1,267 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions during the season with a majority of reps occurring in November. The youngster is tough and makes good decisions but lacks pure arm talent and doesn’t offer anything in the ground game.

Speaking of Aiden Chiles, the former 4-star recruit has moved on from Michigan State after falling out of favor along with the coach he followed from Oregon State in Johnathan Smith. Chiles disappointed mightily at Michigan State and was benched for Milivojevic. He flashed elite ability earlier in his career but not much of it has appeared the last two seasons while injuries have also been a concern. His last chance will be with new Northwestern offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly.

The talent in the fifth tier of Big Ten quarterbacks is rather bare. Some solid play has been mixed in from all of these quarterbacks but none have jumped off the page like Washington or the other 11 ranked above; although Chiles has the tools to be the best of this bunch.

Tier VI: The Rest

Ryan Browne – Purdue

Dylan Lonergan/AJ Surace – Rutgers

Hank Brown/Jeremy Hecklinski – Iowa

The bottom tier is what you would expect the bottom to look like; not great. Ryan Browne left Purdue and returned last season to some poor results. He started all 12 games throwing for 2,153 yards and only 9 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Browne has showed some running capability with 4 scores last year. Browne is the clear starter and is the only one who can claim that in the bottom tier as Purdue looks to win their first conference game since 2023.

Rutgers lost Athan Kaliakmanis to graduation and now has a quarterback battle on its hands. Dylan Lonergan enters from Boston College and was previously at Alabama. Lonergan appeared in 10 games for the Eagles last year and was unimpressive as Boston College struggled immensely. AJ Surace is also an in-house option but has limited game experience. With nothing special about either quarterbacks game it may be an interesting year for star wide receiver KJ Duff.

This is some classic Iowa football, two unproven quarterbacks battling for who can not turn the ball over. Both Brown and Hecklinski were with the program last year but have very limited experience. Brown has a stronger arm but the younger Hecklinski is described as a gunslinger who can get it out quicker. Do not expect big numbers from either player as Iowa relies on its offensive line, running backs, and defense to keep them as a threat on any given Saturday.

The Big Ten quarterback landscape is solid this year with some top of the line NFL talent, exciting playmakers, interesting transfers, and elite young talent looking to make a jump. Malik Washington falls in the latter part of those traits as he looks to use his tools to create better results for Maryland. Some more proven assets around the conference slot above him for now but the potential places him comfortably in the top half of the conference.

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