Heisman / Players / Malik Washington /Maryland

Malik Washington

QB · Maryland · Fr · #7

Filling the Shoesas of 2026-06-22

Washington posted 2,963 passing yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman, inheriting Maryland's starting job from Billy Edwards.

2,963PASS YDS17PASS TD317RUSH YDS

PERCEPTION ABOVE TAPE · PCTL GAP

-35

perception vs production percentile · 2025

The name carries 75th-percentile weight; the snaps grade out 40th. The gap is the open question.

Read the story so far

Washington threw for 2,963 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2025, added 317 rushing yards, and ranked among the Big Ten's most productive quarterbacks on third and fourth and long. His perception score sits 35 percentile points above his tape, a gap that cuts both ways heading into 2026. Reddit threads openly debated whether he should seek a bigger stage. That question, not the stats, is the live story this offseason.

The answer may depend on whether Maryland can show Washington that College Park is already the bigger stage.

QB successionleap of faith

Inherited fromBilly Edwards 3★

Why nowThe 2026 outlook is the live story — the offseason looks forward.

season totals
perception vs production percentile · 2025
throne-line + Filling-the-Shoes

AI narrative · updated 2026-06-22 · compiled from CFB Zeitgeist data

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Maryland for 2026As of Jun 22, 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Maryland for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Quarterback · Maryland

Returning around him

13% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
1 Maryland player drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -1 net (15 in / 16 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Maryland · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #52 · 2026 recruiting class #25

QB · MARYLAND · BIG TEN

Malik Washington

1
#7
6-5 | 231 lb
Glen Burnie, MD

CFB Zeitgeist Score

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by pass yards at the 79th percentile.

Heisman Heat

Awaiting

Not on the live Heisman board this week.

Fan Belief

Awaiting

Player-specific FI not yet ingested. Falls back to team mood below.

Respect Gap

Awaiting

Coming online with player-level FI.

Reality Gap

Awaiting

Coming online with player-level FI.

ACCOLADE PROBABILITY

Heisman

—

TOP QB AWARD

Davey O'Brien

—

CONSENSUS

All-American

—

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 2 · Starter

R07 · Impact starter

Impact starter. Producing measurable value above replacement.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Aura™ · Him Watch the full board →

Aura tax +35aura tax

Fans rank this player in the 75th percentile of QBs; the tape says 40th — more hype than the tape.

Aura — fan perception75th pctl

Production — on-field40th pctl

n=17 mentions · cohort: QBs · 160 qualified · perception = conversation volume, production = wepa_passing

Career Arc

Recruit

★★★★

#99 national

CFB

College

Maryland

2025

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.

PositionQB

Class1

Jersey7

Measurements6-5 | 231 lb

HometownGlen Burnie, MD

Primary teamMaryland

Recruiting Pedigree

How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.

Top pedigree 4-star No. 99 recruit

Composite rating 0.9503 HighSchool

Signed with Maryland 2025

Origin Archbishop Spalding Severn, MD, USA

Class	Profile	Context
2025	4-star \| 0.9503	No. 99 recruit \| HighSchool \| Maryland

Transfer Arc

Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.

Portal moves 0 No portal entry on file

Latest destination -- --

Transfer stars -- CFBD transfer rating context

Eligibility -- Transfer date TBD

Season	Move	Context
No transfer portal moves on file for this player.

Heisman Lens

Where the model places this player relative to the rest of the Heisman field.

Current nowcast--Latest modeled ballot order

Season forecast--Where the full season sim points

Win probability--Chance to actually win the trophy

Finalist probability--Chance to make the finalist tier

Ballot probability--Chance to appear anywhere on a ballot

Best official finish--Best completed Heisman placement on file

Heisman Futures

Not yet listed on major futures markets.

Achievements

Volume King 1.3%
Program Benchmark 5.5%

Selector Grid · 2025

AP—

FWAA—

AFCA—

WCFF—

SN—

SI—

Selector recognition fills in once the major honors lists (AP, FWAA, AFCA, Walter Camp, Sporting News, SI) are scraped and ingested.

NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft

Market value, pedigree & pro outcome

Recruit stars

★★★★☆

to Maryland

Composite

0.9503

#99 national

Today’s Hot-Take

The Hot-Take engine fires when this player’s percentile profile crosses a defensible threshold (top 10% in a cohort, 100+ snap sample). When it’s quiet, the model is honoring its “must be defensible” rule.

The contrarian read fires when the rules-engine detects a stat that complicates the Hot-Take. Quiet here means the model hasn’t found a defensible counter yet — not that one doesn’t exist.

Belief Meter

Jittery

Sample 15 mentions

Confidence LOW

Top Take

Trajectory

“Who will emerge as the Big Ten’s top quarterback in 2026—Dante Moore, Julian Sayin, or a surprise contender? The Big 10 Squad debates Tom Fornelli’s latest rankings, spotlighting rising stars like De’Mon Williams, Jayden Maiava, Josh Hoover, and Bryce Underwood. Heated discussions erupt over Josh Hoover’s upside at Indiana, Malik Washington’s raw talent at Maryland, and whether Rocco Becht or Cade”

— lockedonpodcasts@gmail.com (Locked On Podcast Network) · 0 similar takes

Cohort divergence map

Own fans · n=17
Rivals · n=2
National · n=2

Only 2 rival mention(s) — below the 4-mention floor for a defensible read.

2025 Signature · 2025 season

Total weighted-EPA passing

+120.120

EPA

P4 + Notre Dame QBs, min 250 dropbacks

National rank #33 of 58

Percentile vs P4 + Notre Dame QBs, min 250 dropbacks 44th

Why it matters

#33 of 58 P4 + Notre Dame QBs in total weighted-EPA passing — +55495.4 WEPA on 462 dropbacks.

Vs cohort

This player +120.120 (44th)

HIGH · n=462 cohort 58

Also strong
Passing yards (total)#23 / 72
WEPA per dropback#47 / 58
TD : INT ratio#48 / 72

Signature Moment

No signature moment on the ledger yet.

Returns once this player puts together a multi-game body of work — single-game flashes alone don't clear the bar.

A 3-act season arc returns once this player has six or more games on the ledger.

Season Pace · Projection

Where the passing totals stand

projecting to 13-game

Through 12g

2,963Pass yards

17Pass TDs

9INT

Per game

246.9Pass yards

1Pass TDs

1INT

Projected (13g)

3,210Pass yards

18Pass TDs

10INT

To hit 3,000-yard season (currently 2,963): needs 37/game over remaining 1.

To hit 4,000-yard season (currently 2,963): needs 1,037/game over remaining 1.

To hit 25 passing TDs (currently 17): needs 8/game over remaining 1.

To hit 30 passing TDs (currently 17): needs 13/game over remaining 1.

To hit 35 passing TDs (currently 17): needs 18/game over remaining 1.

Why this is a two-channel quarterback case

The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.

The unusual part of Malik Washington's case is that the production comes in two channels, not one. For Maryland, he has 2,963 passing yards and 17 touchdown passes, but he also adds 317 rushing yards and 4 rushing scores. That kind of dual-threat load tends to create a more resilient Heisman case because the offense can tilt the game in multiple ways.

Current place -- -- win | -- finalist

Role load 65.0% Overall usage share

Profile quirk Blue-chip pedigree No. 99 recruit

2025 Season · Final

Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.

Last season

QB season snapshot

2025 season snapshot | final

2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level

Pass yards 2,963 17 TD | 9 INT | #39/382 (90th pct)

Completion rate 57.7% 273/473 completions | #252/383 (34th pct)

Yards/attempt 6.3 Explosiveness through the air | #239/382 (38th pct)

Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

High-volume passer | Dual-threat against FBS QB peers. The quickest read is whether the profile wins on volume, efficiency, explosiveness, or rushing value.

High-volume passerDual-threat

Passing Efficiency

CMP

273 95th

ATT

473 99th

CMP%

57.7% 34th

Y/A

6.3 38th

Passing Production

YDS

2,963 90th

17 86th

INT

9 12th

Rushing

CAR

55 73rd

YDS

317 87th

YPC

5.8 83rd

4 82nd

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	CMP/ATT	YDS	TD	INT	YPA	QBR	Note
Wk 1	W 39-7vs Florida Atlantic	27/43	258	3	0	6.0	48.5	3 TD passes
Wk 2	W 20-9vs Northern Illinois	19/35	254	2	0	7.3	29.4	Clean 2-TD game
Wk 3	W 44-17vs Towson	16/22	261	1	1	11.9	94.8
Wk 4	W 27-10@ Wisconsin	18/34	265	2	0	7.8	62.4	Clean 2-TD game
Wk 6	L 20-24vs Washington	30/49	219	1	1	4.5	59.0
Wk 7	L 31-34vs Nebraska	27/37	249	1	0	6.7	74.7
Wk 8	L 17-20@ UCLA	23/48	210	1	1	4.4	49.6
Wk 10	L 10-55vs Indiana	16/31	242	1	2	7.8	38.8
Wk 11	L 20-35@ Rutgers	15/28	98	1	1	3.5	64.4
Wk 12	L 6-24@ Illinois	25/46	238	0	1	5.2	42.5
Wk 13	L 20-45vs Michigan	19/39	210	1	1	5.4	71.3
Wk 14	L 28-38@ Michigan State	38/61	459	3	1	7.5	67.8	Season-high 459 yds
Total		273/473	2963	17	9	6.5	58.6

Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score

Traditional history

Traditional Stats

Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.

Season rows Career row

Season context · Team result + system

2025Maryland4-8HC: Mike Locksley · Pass-leaning

Season	Team
2025	Maryland	273	473	57.7%	2,963	6.3	17	9	118.4	--	--
Career	1 loaded season	273	473	57.7%	2,963	6.3	17	9	118.4	--	--

Season	Team
2025	Maryland	55	317	5.8	4	--
Career	1 loaded season	55	317	5.8	4	--

Advanced layer Usage, value, and context

Advanced metrics second

Advanced Metrics

Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.

Usage Value Context

Passing WEPA

Opponent-adjusted passing value. Positive numbers mean the quarterback is adding more value through the air than a neutral peer would in the same environment.

Role share

How much of the offense runs through the quarterback once passing and rushing responsibility are blended together.

Peer percentile

Every percentile is compared against players at the same position and level, so an FBS quarterback is judged against FBS quarterbacks, not the whole sport.

Traditional first

The top tables stick to the stats fans already know from broadcasts and box scores. Advanced context is pushed underneath instead of replacing the basics.

Rush impact 317 4 rush TD | #56/408 (87th pct)

Usage 65.0% 95.7% pass share | 15.2% rush share | #5/428 (99th pct)

Passing WEPA +0.26 Opponent-adjusted passing value | #109/200 (46th pct)

Open full stat explorer

Group	Metric	Value	Rank	Pct	Why it matters
Passing	Passing yards	2,963	#39/382	90th pct	Volumevs FBS QB
Passing	Pass TD	17	#57/407	86th pct	Scoringvs FBS QB
Passing	Completions	273	#20/383	95th pct	Volumevs FBS QB
Passing	Completion %	57.7%	#252/383	34th pct	Efficiencyvs FBS QB
Passing	Yards / attempt	6.3	#239/382	38th pct	Efficiencyvs FBS QB
Rushing	Rushing yards	317	#56/408	87th pct	Volumevs FBS QB
Value	Passing WEPA	+0.26	#109/200	46th pct	Opponent-adjusted passing value \| 462 weighted playsvs FBS QB
Usage	Role share	65.0%	#5/428	99th pct	Share of team offensevs FBS QB
Passing	Attempts	473	#7/407	99th pct	Volumevs FBS QB
Passing	Interceptions	9	#359/407	12th pct	Turnoversvs FBS QB
Rushing	Rushing LONG	73	#8/391	98th pct	Metricvs FBS QB
Rushing	Carries	55	#112/408	73rd pct	Volumevs FBS QB
Rushing	Yards / carry	5.8	#69/407	83rd pct	Efficiencyvs FBS QB
Rushing	Rush TD	4	#74/408	82nd pct	Scoringvs FBS QB
Usage	Pass share	95.7%	#16/428	96th pct	Air-game usagevs FBS QB
Usage	Passing-down usage	84.0%	#1/428	100th pct	Known-passing sharevs FBS QB
Usage	3rd-down usage	76.3%	#15/428	97th pct	Money-down loadvs FBS QB
Usage	2nd-down usage	66.4%	#7/428	99th pct	Middle-down loadvs FBS QB
Usage	1st-down usage	57.5%	#5/428	99th pct	Early-down loadvs FBS QB
Usage	Standard-down usage	55.3%	#12/428	97th pct	Base-situation sharevs FBS QB
Usage	Rush share	15.2%	#101/428	77th pct	Ground-game usagevs FBS QB
Value	Rushing WEPA	+0.17	#109/140	23rd pct	Opponent-adjusted rushing value \| 45 weighted playsvs FBS QB
Ball Security	Fumbles lost	2	#163/258	37th pct	Turnoversvs FBS QB

AWAITING CLASSIFICATION

On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex

AWAITING CLASSIFICATION · Rung None of 16

Why he’s here

Standing classification populates when honors, Heisman, and roster signals all align.

What moves him up

What moves him down

Accolade streams

Status—Awaiting tracker

Heisman model tracks the top FBS contenders weekly; this player hasn't entered the watch list yet.

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

	YDS/g	TD/g	YPA	INT/g
Home7g	242	1.4	7.1	0.7
Road5g	254	1.4	5.7	0.8

Win vs Loss

	YDS/g	TD/g	YPA	INT/g
Wins4g	260	2.0	8.2	0.2
Losses8g	241	1.1	5.6	1.0

First half vs Second half

	YDS/g	TD/g	YPA	INT/g
Weeks 1-76g	251	1.7	7.4	0.3
Weeks 8+6g	243	1.2	5.6	1.2

Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the QB cohort

45Mid-pack

8 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: completion % (20th).

Pass yards#39 / 183 · 79th pct

2963pass

Rush yards#50 / 183 · 73rd pct

317rush

Pass TDs#57 / 183 · 68th pct

17pass

Rush TDs#67 / 183 · 59th pct

4rush

Fumbles lost#87 / 174 · 38th pct

2fumb

Interceptions#135 / 183 · 22nd pct

9pass

Yards / att#143 / 183 · 21st pct

6.3pass

Completion %#146 / 183 · 20th pct

57.7%pass

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Pass Profile · Completion depth (PBP)

Where the throws are landing

150/261 (57.5%) · 10 TD · 2 INT

Short

0–9 yds

59%of completions

89 comp5.2 yds avg3 TD

Middle

10–19 yds

25%of completions

37 comp13.8 yds avg1 TD

Deep

20+ yds

16%of completions

24 comp31.5 yds avg6 TD

Overall 57.5% completion on 261 attempts · 24 deep completions averaging 31.5 yds.

EPA / dropback0.260

32th pct

CPOE—

awaiting

Success rate—

awaiting

Explosive rate (20+)—

awaiting

aDOT—

awaiting

Deep-ball accuracy—

awaiting

Pressure-to-sack—

awaiting

3rd-down EPA—

awaiting

Red-zone TD rate—

awaiting

Play-action EPA—

awaiting

Scramble EPA—

awaiting

Turnover-worthy play rate—

awaiting

wepa_passing0.26Low (p25–p50) (n=94)Mid (p50–p75) (n=106)Low (p25–p50) (n=200)

wepa_rushing0.17Below (<p25) (n=72)Below (<p25) (n=68)Below (<p25) (n=140)

Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match

Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile

3 peers · 8 metrics

Malik WashingtonMarylandNoah KimEastern Michigan· 84% simRyan BrownePurdue· 83% simBen FinleyAkron· 83% sim

Pass yards

79
Washington

76
Kim

56
Browne

65
Finley

Rush yards

73
Washington

59
Kim

61
Browne

52
Finley

Pass TDs

68
Washington

72
Kim

33
Browne

75
Finley

Rush TDs

59
Washington

74
Kim

59
Browne

39
Finley

Fumbles lost

38
Washington

18
Kim

18
Browne

8
Finley

Interceptions

22
Washington

10
Kim

14
Browne

22
Finley

Yards / att

21
Washington

46
Kim

23
Browne

38
Finley

Completion %

20
Washington

42
Kim

29
Browne

6
Finley

Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.

Player DNA

The Scrambler

Makes plays with feet when the pocket collapses. Efficiency still on the rise.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Bryce Underwood’s 2025 season.

Bryce Underwood

61%match

Michigan · 2025

Eli Holstein

Pittsburgh · 2024

All-ACC

59%

Brendan Sorsby

Cincinnati · 2024

54%

Kurtis Rourke

Ohio · 2023

All-MACNFL Rd 7

53%

Rocky Lombardi

Northern Illinois · 2021

52%

Matches Bryce on

Completion %

Height

Differs from Bryce on

Rush usage (lower)

Yards / attempt (lower)

INT rate (lower)

Through 1 college season, his career arc tracks closest to DJ Williams’s path through Southern Illinois.

DJ Williams

94%match

Southern Illinois · 2025

Ross Bowers

Northern Illinois · 2020

90%

Jeff Undercuffler

Akron · 2023

89%

Collin Hill

South Carolina · 2020

87%

Shane Illingworth

Nevada · 2023

83%

Matches DJ on

Yards per attempt

Completion %

As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Bryce Underwood's freshman season at Michigan (2025).

Bryce Underwood

62%match

Michigan · 2025

Eli Holstein

Pittsburgh · 2024

All-ACC

59%

Kaden Anderson

Wyoming · 2024

47%

Zach Calzada

Texas A&M · 2021

41%

Keegan Shoemaker

Sam Houston · 2023

40%

Matches Bryce on

Total pass EPA (college ability)

INT rate

Differs from Bryce on

Rush usage (lower)

Yards / attempt (lower)

Height (higher)

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Mike Locksley

Pass share

61.9%

491 pass / 302 run

Plays / game

66.1

12 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

2.3%

383 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Pass-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2025

1 coach

2025

Mike Locksley

Maryland

Played his entire career under Mike Locksley.

HometownGlen Burnie, MD

Height6'5"

Weight231 lb

Class1

PositionQB

Jersey7

Trophy Case · Detail

Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.

Honors

No formal honors on the ledger yet

All-America, all-conference, player-of-the-week, watch-list, and postseason awards land here when they're earned. The absence is the signal: most players never collect formal honors, and that's its own kind of context.

Honors Timeline

Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.

Season	Honor	Scope	Team / Selector	Context
No formal honors on the ledger yet. All-America, all-conference, weekly awards, watch lists, and postseason trophies land here when they’re earned.

Heisman By Year

Modeled rank and official finish by season.

Season	Team	Role	Latest Model	Forecast	Win	Finalist	Official Finish	Points	Context
This player hasn’t appeared on a Heisman ballot tracked by the model.

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season	Team	Conference	Pos	Class	Bio
2025	Maryland	Big Ten	QB	1	No. 7 \| 6-5 \| 231 lb \| Glen Burnie, MD

Malik Washington

R07 · Impact starter

Identity & Role

Recruiting Pedigree

Transfer Arc

Heisman Lens

The Room on Malik Washington

How rival fanbases talk about Malik Washington

Total weighted-EPA passing

Why this is a two-channel quarterback case

2025 Season · Final

QB season snapshot

What kind of player is this?

2025 Season · Final

Traditional Stats

Advanced Metrics

Player Standing

Percentile Card

Advanced Savant

The Scrambler

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

Trophy Case · Detail

No formal honors on the ledger yet

Honors Timeline

Heisman By Year

Roster Timeline