Maryland Football: CFB analyst David Pollack tabs Malik Washington as Big Ten breakout player
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There doesn't seem to be much hype surrounding the Maryland football program heading into the 2025 season, but that could change quickly. This week, college football analyst David Pollack said that he's keeping an eye on the QB situation in College Park, particularly as it relates to Malik Washington. For Pollack, Washington is one of the top names to watch in the Big Ten conference this season.
"This one was easy for me," Pollack said. "Malik Washington, he's going to be their starting quarterback, and he was recruited by everybody. Top-five quarterback in high school coming out, and they got him at Maryland."
David Pollack highlights Malik Washington as one of the Big Ten’s top names to watch this year:
— Inside Maryland Sports (@Terrapins247) July 10, 2025
“He’s going to be their starting quarterback, and he was recruited by everybody. Five-star. Top-five quarterback in high school football coming out.”
🎥: (seeballgetball/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/0LD2aOZ8EN
Outlets seem divided on the QB situation at Maryland. Some are picking head coach Mike Locksley to roll with UCLA transfer Justyn Martin, while others believe it will be the true freshman. For Pollack, it's not even a question.
"There's a lot of people that are going, 'hey, we don't want to name our starter at quarterback because we don't want people to leave.' They're like, 'we've got this dude, we paid him money, he's here, he's gonna go start.' He's got this ability, he's gonna be next-level.'"
Following spring ball, Locksley declined to name a starting QB, saying that battle would continue during fall camp. But Pollack is right about Washington's skill set, and it seems unlikely that Locksley will keep him on the sidelines for too long. The Terps are still a team that needs more pieces before they can legitimately compete with the upper tier of the Big Ten, but Pollack believes that having Washington is a good start.
"So when you watch Maryland this year, I'm not saying that it's always going to be good, because you're a freshman QB. You're going to take lumps. But he's a guy that has a lot of talent, and if they can bottle it up, they can find a way to get some W's. Maryland, they can stay in games and score points sometimes, but he's the guy. He could be on a lot of rosters. He could be on just about anybody's roster in the country, but he's on Maryland's."
Mike Locksley has never made a true freshman available for spring football media — QB Malik Washington from Archbishop Spalding is the first exception. Malik on the adjustment to the speed of the game, and getting prepped before he enrolled: pic.twitter.com/TysF7LMC0f
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) April 8, 2025
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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