QB Malik Washington on working with Clint Trickett, fit on offense, becoming a leader

Ahmed Ghafir
10 hours ago
6 min read

Maryland football quarterback Malik Washington took the podium ahead of the start of the 2026 season as he dives into his fit and comfort under new coordinator Clint Trickett, the 2026 team becoming Malik's team, his skill players and more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYgqvMtfzyA

Where he’s grown ahead of 2026, becoming a vocal leader

“Definitely being a vocal leader. It's kind of easier when there's less gray area about the team and about your position. Like you knew, coming into the off season, staying here and ready to running back for another year. So it just made it a lot easier to get guys along the same path that I'm on. And then two, just playing the game from the neck up, really not relying on so much my physical ability but my mental ability as well.”

On the WR turnover

“It's just something that kind of got to hang out with them outside the facility. Really, I think that's the easiest way to build connections. Yes, on the field is one thing, in the weight room and all that stuff. But seeing who they are outside the facility, them as people, not so much as players.”

On what stuck out about Hampton in their first game

“Oh yeah, helps preparation a ton. Really, you get a chance to see what they do. Like when you go into week one, a lot of times there's some gray areas, especially when there's new coaches and things like that, new coordinators. But getting to see them play a first game gives us a kind of insight what we think they may do. Now everybody plans for people differently, so they may play us a completely different way than they played their first game, but at least we have somewhat of an idea.”

On what Malik he’s from the new WRs, where they’ve grown

“They've grown as leaders too. They're not as reserved as they were, but I appreciate this because of the fact that they're starting to find their place within the team. And then secondly, like we have a young freshman, Jayden Kitchens, has been playing really well throughout fall camp. He was kind of a little bit getting used to it in the spring, but now throughout fall camp, he's found his stride a little bit.”

What a successful 2026 season looks like

“For me, just success as a team, really going out there and giving everything we have. Finishing games is a big part of our success as a team. Finishing the fourth quarter, winning the fourth quarter, that'll kind of carry over to everything else we need to do.”

On the new offensive coaches

“Just some freedom within the offense, really. We're using the players, what their best at like. We're keeping the small guys in space, keeping them in space, allowing our big targets to be big targets. Just flowing within the fit of the offense for the players that are in the offense, not so much the other way around. So it just kind of allows us to play really free.”

Maryland’s non-conference success, whether Maryland takes pride in that

“Not really. We just see it as one game at a time, in conference, out of conference. We're just trying to win that game, in that moment, in that scenario.”

On reuniting with Kyle Schmitt

“We've always had a really strong relationship. And him being here now just gives me another familiar face, somebody I can look to and confide in that I built trust with over the past four or five years, it's just been really easy for me and him to connect on a lot of things. We see things the same way on the field, off the field. Just a really great guy, even better coach.”

On his relationship with Zion Elee

“Zion's a really good kid, really cool kid. A little quieter than people realize, but when he gets around people he's comfortable with, he kind of gets out of the shell a little bit. So I think on his visit the first couple days he was a little quiet, but as he got through it, he started to show who he was as a person. He's just working really hard this whole offseason, preparing for game one.”

On taking Zion into his suite during a Ravens game

“We just went up for a game. I saw him at the game. I was sitting up there, so I was, you know, just come through, sit down for a second. Just regular conversations, really. Just get to know him more as a person, not so much as a player.”

On learning the new offensive system

“Not too much of a learning curve because coach, like he says, coach has his hands in the offense almost all the time. So it's some stuff that I was kind of familiar with from years previous that I saw watching tape just on our teams in the past. So it wasn't too much of a learning curve. Of course, Coach Trickett has his own wrinkles and stuff into the offense that he likes and how he likes to call games, which we'll se, as we get throughout the season. But it's been a familiarity there and comfortability as well.”

On Maryland becoming his team, the chance to change the perception of the program

“I think for us, we're kind of in a special situation just because of how many players that we brought back, over 70% of our returning production came back. So some of that culture and that team identity that we have is already set within the leaders of the team, right within their position rooms on their sides of the ball. So it makes it a little bit easier for that. It's kind of now, you're just bringing the new guys along. It's not so much having to reteach everyone all over again.”

Whether Malik feels he needs to win big on Saturday to change perception

“It’s really not so much what people think about our team. It's how we think about ourselves and how we view ourselves that motivates us and keeps us moving forward. The energy in the locker room, the energy on the field, the practice, that's what pushes our team, not so much of the outside noise.”

What personality traits Malik Washington wants to see his team pick up from him

“Just being able to connect with everybody really not very cliquey, finding a way to get in between friend groups and understand people and where they come from and their backgrounds and find something to relate to everyone about.”

Comfort within the new offense

“Super. Like I said there was some turnover and things that Coach had had done previous years that I knew just from watching some of the film from earlier years. So it's not too difficult for me picking the playbook up. It's kind of easy, and now it's just the intricacies within the playbook and the wrinkles that Coach Trickett added that you continue to learn and continue to grasp.”

On implementing the TEs in the offense

“They're matchup problems for offense. We can get into bigger personnel formations, and they can play like receivers. We can get in 12 and make ten formations out of it. So it causes issues for defenses, and then we can also bring them down to help us in the run game. They do really well, and that's the area they both have moved on throughout their college careers. I'm just seeing an improvement from them and their willingness and their physicality in the run game just makes it a lot easier as an offense when you have players who can play multiple spots and do different things.”

On Trickett’s message about Malik using his mobility

“One emphasis is not taking unnecessary hits. You go get your yards and you get down and you get out of bounds. You don't have to be a superhero out there. Fourth down changes. game and a line changes, of course, but regular scenarios is just getting what we can and getting out and going to see the next play.”

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