3,000-yard freshman QB announces return to struggling college football program

A quarterback at a struggling program has opted not to enter transfer portal after losing season.

Nov 29, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Maryland quarterback Malik Washington (7) looks for an open receiver against Michigan State in the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

The 2025 college football season is quickly approaching a conclusion.

12 college football programs will participate in the 2025 college football playoff, which begins on Friday. 35 different bowl games are being held across the country from mid-December to the first two days of January 2026.

Roster retention is imperative for college football programs across all levels in the age of the NCAA transfer portal. Hundreds of college football players from all classifications have already decided they will enter the portal when it opens.

One Power Four program will not lose its quarterback to the portal despite its struggles in 2025. Maryland quarterback Malik Washington announced his intent to stay with the Terrapins in 2026 on Sunday.

"This is home, and we're going to continue keeping the best athletes from this area here with the Terps," Washington announced in a statement. "I believe in everyone in our facility, and I know we're building something that our fans will be excited about for years to come."

This is Home. pic.twitter.com/qHiq21C45k

— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) December 14, 2025

2025 was the first season of college football for the 6-foot-5, 231-pounder from Glen Burnie, Maryland. Washington gave the Terrapins a promising 2,963 pass yards and 17 pass touchdowns to go with 303 rushing yards and four rush touchdowns. He broke the Maryland record for passing yards by a freshman quarterback set by Danny O'Brien.

Washington threw for more than 200 yards in all but the Terrapins' game against Rutgers, a game where he ran for 164 yards and a rushing touchdown. His season high in passing yards was 459 to go with three touchdowns in the season finale against Michigan State.

Maryland won all three of its non-conference games against Florida Atlantic (39-7), Northern Illinois (20-9) and Towson (44-17).

The Terrapins' lone Big Ten win was in the conference opener at Wisconsin (27-10) on Sept. 20. The road losses for Maryland were at UCLA (20-17), Rutgers (35-20) and Illinois (24-6).

Maryland finished the 2025 season 0-4 at home in Big Ten play. The losses were against Washington (24-20), Nebraska (34-31), Indiana (55-10), and Michigan (45-20).

The Terrapins finished 2025 against Michigan State at Ford Field on Nov. 29. Despite Washington's career-high performance, Maryland still left Detroit with a 38-28 loss to end the season.

Maryland's 1-8 record in Big Ten play, coupled with the head-to-head loss to Michigan State, resulted in a second-to-last-place finish in the Big Ten, ahead of only 2-10 Purdue. 2025 was the second consecutive season Maryland finished 4-8 under Mike Locksley. The only lower mark under Locksley was a 3-9 season in 2019, his first season on the job.

Nov 22, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Malik Washington (7) scrambles during the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images