QB Malik Washington on spring ball, QB competition, upcoming Maryland football spring game, WR room

Ahmed Ghafir
Apr 22
8 min read

Fans will get their first glimpse at freshman quarterback Malik Washington during Saturday’s spring game, set to begin at 12:05 PM with BTN providing TV coverage. After arriving in January and becoming a staple in the ongoing quarterback battle alongside UCLA transfer Justyn Martin and second-year QB Khristian Martin, Washington joined GCR to talk about the early months in his career with Maryland football:

On the chance to enroll early at Maryland, play in Saturday’s spring game

“It’s been great, getting up here early has just helped me grow, not only as a player, as a football player, but also as a man. Just getting up here with guys that are more experienced and more mature that can teach you some different ways of life that you might not have looked at it like that before. So getting up here has been a blessing.”

On being a freshman trying to find his voice on the team

“100%, just being around everybody. We're all putting in the same work and I think that comes with the level of respect between each and every individual, no matter what your position is or where you stand on the depth chart because I know you put in the same amount of work that I put in to be here. So we all respect one another and take what each other have to say.”

On Saturday’s spring game, what fans want to learn about Malik Washington

“For me, really, it's about family. A lot of my family is going to come to the game that haven’t been able to see me before, make that drive down to Archbishop Spalding so having them all come up will be probably the most exciting thing for me.”

Whether Malik ever wavered about his decision

“That's why I took my time making my decision because I wanted to make the right one and not have any regrets or any worries about anything else. And then once I made my decision, I knew I was all the way in no matter who came calling or anything like that. Like I was completely locked in.”

On Malik’s recruiting efforts for Maryland, Zion Elee

“I try just like everybody else, but we have a great recruiting staff here. Just people all over the place that are willing to help out just to get to where we need to be as a program. And hey, I can't take credit for that, something they did. They were able to get in here, you know, talk to him and figure out what it would take to get him here and we got him.”

“Me and Zion talk all the time. We're pretty good friends. We were together down at Orlando and the Under Armour All-American game, we were down there together having a conversation stuff like that, just talking about football and talking about life.”

Whether the magnitude of their decisions are discussed

“Yeah, 100%. A lot of different places keep their local talent home. I feel like the DMV has such talented guys and even better men that if we keep everybody here, like we could be such a great program.”

Whether Malik feels like he’s prepared to be the starting quarterback as a true freshman

“Coach has done a done a great job of preparing, not just me, but all of the quarterbacks in the room. We all are in here. First one's in, last one out. He's done an amazing job of getting all of us ready so when that time come, whoever it is that will step into that moment will be ready for it, no matter who it is.”

On his relationship with QB Justyn Martin

“I mean, to be honest, all the quarterbacks in the room, we're like the best of friends because we're spending so much time together here, hours on end. And even outside of here, like we'll hang out together, go get food and just sit and talk about different things. Even when we're competing, we know that at any day, none of it’s personal. It’s iron sharpens iron so we're all here making each other better. Justyn bring some experience from being somewhere else and having been in college for a while that, me and Khristian really don't have that experience just because we're new to it. So he helps us out in that regard and we help him right back, just keeping a different perspective on things and it all works together.”

Whether Malik Washington talks trash

“No because, to be honest, we really congratulate each other before the other person can say anything. Somebody makes a good throw in practice, we're in the back like, oh, that was a nice ball, you know, stuff like that. Like, we're all super positive. It's not really, no. I mean, of course, there's competitive nature, we're going through Indy. It's like, all right, you know, all face shots, let's keep score. You know, whoever hits the most face shots wins. Like stuff like that, just to keep the energy going, but other than that, no.”

“I think it's really just I'm super competitive as a person. I just want to win it at everything I do. So, I mean, there's gonna be a little bit of fire but I won't be the one initiating it. Somebody says something to me and then we make a play, they might hear a little sound back. It won't be me going out of my way to make sure I talk stuff.”

How Malik has handled the spotlight

“It comes with the position really. So for me, it's never really been too much pressure, because at end of the day, I know I'm going to give it everything I have and the result will be the result. My family never puts any pressure on me that has to be the one to succeed or to make it or do anything like that. So I think that also helps just knowing that I can go out here and play the game I love and have fun with it.”

On the WR room

“Jalil is just coming back off injury so he’s trying to get back healthy and stuff like that. So we haven't had a really opportunity to see him at full speed. He's just recovering. He had a surgery and things like that and he's doing rehab just to get back on the field, which I know he wants to do more than anything else, just get back out on that field. And then, yeah, all the receivers have been doing great. Five [Octavian Smith] has been making a bunch of players over the field. It's his senior year. It's time for him to step up, not only as a player, but as a leader in the program. And I think he's going to do that.”

How the team handles portal additions/departures

“It’s definitely taking some time to adjust to just because I'm a relationship person. With people I'm around, I always build very strong relationships with the people that I'm around. And to see them come and go like, it's definitely difficult. But like you said, it's just – it is how it is now. I wish them the best. [Wherever] they end up, I'm always going to be rooting for them, and, you know, unless we have to see them, then, of course between the lines it might be a little different. Other than that, I'm always rooting for the guys.”

Whether Malik plays any pickup basketball

“I can’t really get out there and run around full speed like I used to. Most I do now, if I go to the rec center, I might get a couple shots just to make sure I still got it or I might go to the park with my family and mess around and play some horse with them. But not a lot of full games running, jumping and sprinting and dunking. Can’t do it.”

Whether he misses basketball

“A little bit, watching Archbishop Spalding team this past year and the success that they had, just watching from the side, it definitely kind of hard, just knowing, like, I could be out there helping. They have a very bright future. They're [a] super young team and they're ready to go next year.”

On the chance to win a Big Ten title at Maryland

“I don't even think words do it justice that, that feeling that would happen from a result like that. Just being able to be from here and bring attention to here and just do it in front of people that I love, that I've grown up around my whole life, and people that supported me my whole life. Like, it would just be so blissful. That's the only way I can really describe it.”

On his time at Archbishop Spalding

“Not even just on the field, but also academically. You know, Archbishop Spalding as an institution has just really prepared me to come to college and do the work that I need to do. From different classes and different teachers explaining to me how college is going to be and how the courses are going to run and time management, stuff like that. And then on the football side we're really like a college prep program. The same stuff that we were doing in practice at Archbishop Spalding, I'm doing up here. The different periods through practice and stuff like that. Like, even some of the play calls we had are pretty similar. It helped me in ways that I can't even describe. And then, of course, coach, just as a person, as a mentor, has helped me because he's been through this process before, even at the same place that I'm at so he just helped me out understanding what it's going to be like and the different things that may come with being a college athlete.”

On his relationship with Chad Henne

“Really just how to stay consistent. He spoke a lot about consistently. [He] played in the league for a long time, and he was, like, the way that he did that was stay consistent with his process. Things that he does, a routine that he has, that allowed him to stay no matter how things were going, what team he was on, where he ended up, whatever was happening, you know, whether he was playing that week or not playing on week. He kept his routine the same, and it allowed him to play for so long.”

On his recruiting efforts

“I’m trying with big Manny [Iheanacho]. He’s a good kid. I'm also very excited to see, you know, where his career goes. Of course, I want it to be here. I mean, I'm gonna keep on him with that. But you know, wherever Manny ends up I'm sure he’ll be very successful.”

On whether he still gets to enjoy high school experiences

“They’re very adamant about being able to go back and stuff like that because those experiences you can only get once in a life. So I had a senior event this past week that I had went to on Wednesday so I had to do my lift on Tuesday instead of Wednesday just so I could make it down to that senior event in the morning. And then I came back here and still made it back in time for meetings and stuff like that. And then prom for me is May 17, so we'll be, I think we're not in spring ball during that. I'll have time to go back down and go to prom, enjoy those moments with my friends that I've been around for the past couple years.”

Related Links