Three Maryland football freshmen named among best in the nation by ESPN

Ahmed Ghafir
Sep 29
2 min read

Maryland football’s freshman class was expected to be a big part of the 2025 identity, but through the first month of the season, several have already made strong arguments to be included among the best freshmen at their positions across college football. That claim was validated on Monday morning after three Maryland freshmen were included inside ESPN’s college football freshmen rankings through five weeks, including the program’s rising star headlining the list.

QB Malik Washington was named the nation’s best freshman by ESPN after throwing for at least 250 yards in each of his first four appearances, becoming the second Big Ten QB to do so since 1996, and leading Maryland to a perfect 4-0 start.

ESPN: “Living up to expectations as a potential hometown savior is hard. But so far, the Maryland native, who ranked No. 134 in the SC Next ESPN 300 coming out of high school, has been up to the task. The 6-foot-5, 231-pounder delivered Maryland's first Big Ten road win since 2023 by beating Wisconsin. It was not his best performance in terms of completion percentage, but he still threw for 265 yards and accounted for three scores in a poised performance. Washington ranks among the nation's top 25 in both passing yards (1,038) and touchdowns (eight) through four games. Perhaps most importantly, Washington has avoided turnovers. Last year, Nebraska's Dylan Raiola showed how tough the Big Ten can be for a freshman, but Washington's efficiency and composure suggest he's built to handle the grind.”

Washington wasn’t the only one with OLBs Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart tying for fifth nationally as the freshmen tandem have combined for 10.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks through four games, while also ranking sixth and seventh on the team in tackles (Mathis, 15; Stewart, 14). Mathis also recorded a blocked field goal in the opening series of the Wisconsin game, marking the program’s first since doing so vs. USC in 2024. Stewart sits third in the Big Ten in TFLs (6.5) and tied for second in sacks (4) while becoming the first Big Ten player since 2019 to record sacks in his first four games of a season.

ESPN: “We're cheating a bit by picking two players, but this disruptive tandem has rejuvenated Maryland's defensive front. Stewart leads all freshmen and is tied for sixth nationally with four sacks through four games. The 6-foot-6 Mathis isn't far behind, and while he went without a sack against Wisconsin, he notched seven tackles and used his long wingspan to block a kick. Both players have also performed quite well against the run. It's a tall ask for freshman edge defenders to hold up all year against Big Ten competition, but this pair has the tools to keep producing. With fellow freshman Nashir Taylor, the trio has graded out in the top five of all true freshmen edge rushers.”

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