Malik Washington sees growth ahead of "perfect fit" in Maryland football's 2026 offense

Ahmed Ghafir
2 days ago
3 min read

Maryland football’s offense will look much different in 2026 compared to 2025 – understandably so.

The hire of Clint Trickett as the program’s new offensive coordinator was made official back in mid-February with a shift from Pep Hamilton’s scheme to a “spread, pro-style, multi tempo system” in 2026, as head coach Mike Locksley described it.

While the continued focus remains on elevating Maryland’s rushing attack that has struggled over the last three seasons, the shift could be what also helps quarterback Malik Washington make the second year jump and become a bigger weapon in the offense. As retention materialized into the offseason theme, Washington benefitted from making offseason strides with Michael Hershey as one of three returning starting offensive linemen, starter running back DeJuan Williams back for a second season coupled with a pair of “electric” wide receiver portal additions in Chris Durr Jr. and Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding alongside senior Kaleb Webb.

Yet the spring gave the face of the program a chance to get comfortable not just with the playbook, but with his new coordinator and quarterbacks coach off the field.

“To be honest, we went out to eat, we sat down, talked to each other, just trying to understand who each of us is as a person, what we want out of this,” Washington said.

Washington’s performance in the season finale capped off a freshman season that cemented him in the program record book after his 459 passing yards and 61 attempts ranked second-most and his 38 completions ranked fourth-most, enough to move inside the top-20 in career attempts, passing yards and completions. The struggles on the ground coupled with drops among the wide receiver room put more on Washington’s plate as conference play progressed, giving him a foundation to work off through his second offseason.

“There were times he would step up in the pocket and think he was feeling pressure but the pressure wasn’t necessarily there,” Aaron Campbell, Washington’s longtime trainer, said in the spring.

Washington admitted his “processing and understanding” as a Big Ten quarterback is where he feels his biggest growth ahead of year two.

“Understanding defenses better, fronts, coverages, all those things,” Washington said. “So that way my pre-snap picture can give me a post-snap idea of what’s going to happen.”

Yet the chance to play in Trickett’s system can accentuate Washington’s threat on the ground as much as through the air, while head coach Mike Locksley noted this was the system that his quarterback “was recruited to play in this system a year ago.”

“We didn't run this system a year ago. We were really intentional about what we wanted to do on offense because we had to teach Malik how to play quarterback in the Big Ten while having a young offensive line and not necessarily [being] able to run the ball, which you have to do. And he protected the ball pretty well for us, learned how to protect himself and getting his protection calls, and he's operating it like a pro style system.”

Locksley also tabbed the scheme as the “perfect fit” for Washington, but who calls the plays in 2026 remains a question for fall camp to solve. Locksley noted the two will “work collaboratively” after both he and Trickett called scripted plays through spring ball.

“He has the ability to call it,” Locksley said of Trickett. “He will have opportunities to call it. He's been able to add and put things into the original system. As I said, a year ago, we were intentional and got away from the system he was recruited to [play in]. But Clint brings the ability to run the ball the way I like, to run it out of the different sets where you open up the sets and you put speed in space. And I've been really happy with what he's done thus far with spring and a mixed development.”

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