Maryland football has 27 sophomores or redshirt sophomores on its roster heading into the 2026 season, a group that includes several key contributors from a year ago: edge rushers Nahsir Taylor and Sidney Stewart, safety Jayden Shipps, running back DeJuan Williams, kicker Sean O’Haire — and, of course, quarterback Malik Washington.
The Terps suffered a big blow during preseason camp with the loss of sophomore edge rusher Zahir Mathis, reportedly to a torn ACL, but they still enter the season among the top teams in FBS in terms of returning production.
Players and coaches alike hope that continuity helps Maryland rebound from back-to-back 4-8 seasons.
“We’re bringing back so much of our roster,” Washington said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 26. “We were playing a lot of freshmen last year — a lot of true freshmen, some redshirt freshmen. It was a good amount of guys that were young. Some of the things you experience on the field you can’t really replicate in practice. You can try your best, but that field experience is something that we all needed.”
Maryland’s youth showed up after beginning the season 4-0. The Terps lost the next three games by a combined 10 points, letting second-half leads slip away against Washington, Nebraska and UCLA. A possible 7-0 start quickly turned into an eight-game losing streak to end the season.
“We all remember the pain of the three-game stretch where we’re in the game in the fourth quarter and we can’t find a way to finish, so just emphasizing the finish in everything that we do,” Washington said.
Washington turned in a solid freshman campaign for Maryland in 2025, throwing for 2,963 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 57.7 percent passing. The 6-foot-5, 227-pound quarterback also ran for 303 yards and four touchdowns.
Washington’s best game as a freshman might have been his last, when he threw for 459 yards and three touchdowns on 38 of 61 passing against Michigan State in Detroit. Though the performance came in a 38-28 loss, it was a productive way to head into the offseason.
Washington tried not to dwell on the mistakes he made throughout the season, understanding it’s hard to recreate throws he missed.
“You can step out here onto the grass with nobody out here [but] a receiver and you can make the throw 1,000 times, but what happens when there’s a defender in your face, what happens when there’s somebody covering? You need to understand your body position and how that can relate to the throw,” Washington said. “There are different ways you can get to it, so not just dropping back, clean pocket, making the throw. It’s a move, it’s a slide, whatever it is to get to that spot and be able to make the throw.”
Washington surely drew interest from other programs after the season, but he never had any intention of leaving College Park. A native of Glen Burnie and graduate of Archbishop Spalding, he committed to Maryland in 2024 and never wavered even as the Terps struggled through a rough season that fall.
Now, Washington and head coach Michael Locksley have a chance to get it right.
“Once the season ended, I knew I was ready to get back to go to work next season,” Washington said. “There was no question from me. I knew I wanted to stay around. This is the place I chose. I chose to come here for three to four years, get a degree and do all this stuff. I wanted to make it from here. It wasn’t a stepping stone for me.”
See Also: Chris Durr Jr., Nahsir Taylor Ready To Step Up For Maryland Football
For more from Washington, watch the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics