After a disappointing season, Maryland reloaded Wednesday with its 2025 football recruiting class, headlined on National Signing Day by talented Archbishop Spalding quarterback Malik Washington leading a bevy of local recruits to College Park.
“After a tough, long year, where we didn’t meet the standard that we had, it’s great to finish the ’24 cycle, ’25 cycle, with signing these players who have endured this tough year along with us,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said. “And all along the way, I just kept thinking, ’Help is on the way,’ and I’m excited with this class that’s coming in to represent us.”
The No. 5 rated QB in the nation by 247 Sports and a consensus four-star recruit, Washington stayed home with the Terrapins as the early signing period opened after receiving offers from Penn State, Virginia Tech, and rumblings that others were trying to flip his commitment.
“This guy, you can’t put him in a box,” Locksley said. “I mean, the intelligence he brings. I’ve recruited Malik since he was an eighth grader. I watched how he built this Spalding program with his head coach there, and a lot like what we’ve had to do here at Maryland.”
Multiple times during the recruitment cycle, Washington doubled down on the Terrapins, posing with a Maryland jersey after Spalding won its third-straight state title last month and embracing the “Free Grandma” meme that gained popularity among program backers on social media.
“He never once wavered, man, and to me, this kid, the sky is the limit for his talent level,” Locksley said.
Joining him are Spalding teammates Jayden Shipps at defensive back and Delmar White on the defensive line. Washington also had a hand in leading fellow four stars Zymear Smith and top-10 interior offensive lineman Jaylen Gilchrist from Virginia Beach to the Terrapins, further emphasizing the DMV to UMD movement that Locksley has made the cornerstone of his recruiting philosophy.
“Over the years, we’ve always talked about owning the DMV and controlling this area,” Locksley said. “We’ve really been able to do a great job here in D.C., Maryland, and now down in the Tidewater area that has not been really fruitful for us.”
The Terrapins’ class, ranked No. 21 by ESPN and No. 25 by 247 Sports, features 11 Maryland natives and seven four-star prospects, headlined by Washington and Gilchrist. The biggest area addressed was the line of scrimmage, with four offensive and five defensive linemen added. Both groups struggled in 2024, most specifically an offensive line that routinely featured three transfers as starters and multiple freshmen thrust into primary roles.
“It’s great to have athletes and skill, but if you want to win in this league, what we just kind of went through here the last four or five weeks of our season has continued to show us that we have to continue to get bigger, stronger, more heavy-handed there in the trenches,” Locksley said.
Washington and his offensive classmates will become part of a unit that is already undergoing major changes after a 4-7 campaign. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’ contract will not be renewed by Maryland, as first reported by John Brice. Gattis was a former Broyles Award winner as the best assistant coach in college football and held similar positions at Michigan and Miami before coming to College Park. A frustrated Locksley took over play-calling duties from Gattis after a 37-10 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 11.
Washington will enroll at Maryland early, and is expected to compete for the starting quarterback role with Billy Edwards Jr., whom Locksley said will return next season.
The early period extends until Friday, and any remaining additions to the class will be announced during the regular period in February. Locksley also said he expects to address the areas of tight end and the secondary in the transfer portal, which opens Dec. 9.
“Because of the new landscape and the [revenue sharing] money that is coming from the NCAA,” Locksley said, “it gives us the ability to go and get some guys to supplement us.”
Maryland’s 2024 National Signing Day Early-Signee Class:
OL Ben Beymer, Auburndale, Florida (Lakeland)
RB Bud Coombs, Mechanicsville, Maryland (DeMatha)
LB Travares Daniels II, Miami, Florida (St. Thomas Aquinas)
DB Messiah Delhomme, Newport News, Virginia (Warwick)
WR Justin DeVaughn, Baltimore, Maryland (Mergenthaler)
OL Jaylen Gilchrist, Virginia Beach, Virginia (Salem)
QB Jackson Hamilton, Houston, Texas (Manvel)
OL Amory Hills, Baltimore, Maryland (Milford Mill)
RB Iverson Howard, Gaithersburg, Maryland (Quince Orchard)
DL Bryce Jenkins, Hyattsville, Maryland (Friendship)
DL Dante Recker, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Avon Old Farms)
DB Jayden Shipps, Severn, Maryland (Archbishop Spalding)
LB CJ Smith, Norfolk, Virginia (Maury)
RB/DB Zymear Smith, Ridgely, Maryland (North Caroline)
DL Sidney Stewart, Joppa, Maryland (Concordia)
TE JT Taggart, Bowling Green, Kentucky (Calvert Hall)
DL Nahsir Taylor, Suitland, Maryland (Riverdale Baptist)
QB Malik Washington, Glen Burnie, Maryland (Archbishop Spalding)
DL Delmar White, Millersville, Maryland (Archbishop Spalding)
OL Lamar Williams, Midway, Florida (Gadsden County)
• George Gerbo can be reached at ggerbo@washingtontimes.com.
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