With uncertainty surrounding future of Maryland football, Malik Washington, Sidney Stewart focused on the present

10 hours ago

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Tuesday marked the biggest day of the 2026 season for Maryland football having formally introduced Aazaar Abdul-Rahim as the interim head coach after athletic director Jim Smith took questions on next steps for the program.

Yet the question that looms is centered around next steps and potential roster moves with a new regime set to take over with a new staff in place. While the feedback has pointed to the bulk of the roster focused on the rest of the season, the layer of roster uncertainty adds a question for the next month to answer.

For edge rusher Sidney Stewart, he admitted he would “have to re-evaluate my own future.”

“But ultimately, I’ve got five more games to play and that’s all I’m excited for because like I said, this college football stuff goes by fast and I’ve got an opportunity to keep playing. I’m still healthy, got five more games so I’m excited man. I appreciate my coach, I appreciate Jim [Smith], Diana [Sabau]. They put me in the best position to do what I’m capable of doing so all I’ve got to do is attack these last five games, which is a great opportunity.”

As for quarterback Malik Washington, one of three players named a permanent captain the rest of the season, is keeping his focus on the five games ahead of him while bypassing a question about his future beyond this season.

“Still got these last five games we have to play and that’s all I’m worried about,” Washington said.

Former head coach Mike Locksley was integral to Maryland’s pursuit of the former four-star out of Archbishop Spalding (Md.) as the local team emerged as the clear favorite through the spring into his summer commitment. That relationship always carried weight with Washington as the question now turns to how much the coaching change alters his thinking. Yet Washington was appreciative of the growth that both he and Locksley saw come to fruition over the last two years.

“I’ve known coach [Locksley] since eighth grade so it’s been a really long time. Recruited me really hard through high school and of course ended up here. I’m really blessed and grateful to say that’s kind of how my journey went, or how it’s going. That last conversation, I would say it’s kind of a personal one, but it was something that me and him both needed. Not just because of the relationship that we have for us on the field but off the field as well. Coach is a man of faith, too, and he’s talked to me before about me going out there and being open about my faith and talking about it. It’s something that kind of inspired him to do the same almost. It’s something he was able to lean on in tough times. I’m just glad that I could impact coach’s life the same way he impacted mine.”

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