Malik Washington is staying home.
The rising senior quarterback out of Archbishop Spalding announced his commitment to Maryland on Friday afternoon with a surprise second commitment from his teammate Jayden Shipps, a cornerback, on a 247Sports livestream.
Washington is ranked the 14th-best quarterback in his class and the third-best player from Maryland, according to 247. With Washington’s commitment, the Terps gain their first four-star player for their 2025 class and their highest-ranked quarterback under coach Mike Locksley, per 247 Sports’ rankings.
“If you can be great, why not be great at home?” Washington said.
He chose Maryland over Syracuse, Central Florida and Virginia Tech.
Washington said he “kind of” had his mind made up going into his official visits but wasn’t certain. Maryland was his final official visit on June 21.
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Maryland has the 49th-best class in the country, according to 247 Sports. Its ranking will likely increase after Washington, and several other local prospects, announced they would join the team.
The Terps have 15 commits, seven of whom are Maryland natives, for 2025. Most of their commitments came this month, including three-star linebacker Travares Daniels II, who committed about an hour before Washington did.
Washington’s commitment comes as Maryland is attempting to find a successor for the most prolific passer in program history. Taulia Tagovailoa set a Big Ten record with 11,256 career passing yards and led the Terps to three straight bowl games.
The Terps don’t have a clear answer for who will replace Tagovailoa for the 2024 season. Billy Edwards Jr., MJ Morris and Cameron Edge are competing for the spot. All have more than one year of eligibility remaining. Washington could enter his freshman season at Maryland as an answer to the current uncertainties, or he could join the fray of quarterbacks competing for playing time.
Washington said the Terps told him they were open at the quarterback position, meaning he would have a chance to come in and compete for the starting job.
Washington appears to have the ability to become an elite passing quarterback; he has thrown only 17 interceptions over two high school seasons, compared to 416 completed passes.
Washington had a stellar sophomore year, after which he was named The Baltimore Banner Male Athlete of the Year. He tallied 2,979 passing yards and 29 touchdowns while leading Archbishop Spalding to its first MIAA A Conference championship.
His junior year was just as impressive. Washington completed 62.3% of his passes, finishing the season with 2,093 yards, resulting in a second straight championship for Spalding.
Washington is a highly touted two-sport athlete. He is also an elite basketball player for Spalding and the Team Melo AAU program.
Before deciding where he wanted to go to college, Washington had to choose which sport to play, because he received attention from NCAA Division I basketball and football coaches.
Luckily for Locksley and the Terps, Washington chose to pursue football.
Shipps is the 82nd-best cornerback in the 2025 class, according to 247. He chose Maryland over Virginia, NC State and Wisconsin. Shipps echoed Washington’s excitement about playing for his hometown team.
“I feel like Maryland is building something great,” Shipps said. “And like why not keep it in the DMV?”
