Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. enters transfer portal, possibly kickstarting the Malik Washington era
Could the Malik Washington era be here sooner than expected? After Billy Edwards' decision to enter the portal, it's a real possibility.
The Malik Washington era of Maryland football could start sooner than expected. Starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. is entering the transfer portal, potentially clearing the way for the prized incoming freshman to win the job next fall.
Edwards' decision, reported earlier by InsideMDSports, comes as no surprise. Sources close to the redshirt junior from Northern Virginia have maintained since the season ended that he could depart depending on the market for his services.
In his first year as a starter, Edwards finished third in the Big Ten in passing yards (2,881), but those yards resulted from more attempts than any quarterback in the conference, because the Terps were often trailing and lacked a running game. Teams in need of a quarterback view him as a valuable commodity, overlooking some of his flaws because he played behind a porous offensive line, taking his share of hits and playing through pain.
"He was the toughest quarterback we played," one Big Ten coach said.
Barring an unlikely return, Edwards' decision means Washington could be the man earlier than expected. The initial expectation was for an open competition in the spring, with Edwards likely starting and Washington serving as an apprentice, getting significant in-game reps behind Edwards and preparing to be the face of the offense in his second season.
"[I'm] super excited. Billy's a really, really smart kid and I'm really excited to learn from him," Washington said last week. "He has a lot of experience under his belt, so I'll be asking questions about how he deals with certain things, not even really just on the field, but off the field stuff too, that he's had to go through with his past season."
Now, the nation's No. 5 quarterback will have a better chance to start immediately, though MJ Morris could return and it seems likely Locksley will pursue another quarterback in the portal.
Edwards arrived at Maryland three years ago after transferring from Wake Forest, backing up Taulia Tagovailoa for two years as Tagovailoa became the Big Ten's all-time passing leader. Viewed as more of a runner than a thrower, as illustrated when Locksley brought him in for three short-yardage touchdowns in one game last season against eventual national champion Michigan, he showed his ability to move the ball through the air this season, when he threw for at least 280 yards in half of Maryland's 12 games. But the Terps had one of their worst seasons in recent years, finishing 4-8 overall and 1-8 in Big Ten play, and Edwards ranked 68th nationally in quarterback rating.
Washington, the No. 50 player in the 247Sports 2025 recruiting rankings, is the highest-rated quarterback Maryland has signed in the modern era. He picked the Terps over offers from programs like Oregon, Texas A&M and Penn State.
"Whenever I talked to coach Locks, it wasn't really a recruiting pitch ... It was a genuine conversation we were having. Some other places, it kind of felt like they were shooting me their spiel and being cautious and not really answering my questions and just going off of whatever they had mapped out," he said after committing to Maryland in June.
"Coach always kept it real with me and what he thought I could do, and how he believed in my ability."
Washington will soon graduate from Archbishop Spalding (Md.), which he led to a 12-0 mark and the No. 11 spot in MaxPreps' national rankings and will enroll at Maryland for the second semester. It's a head start on getting ready for his college career, especially valuable now that Edwards is gone.
Despite baseless speculation otherwise, Washington never considered entertaining any other schools after committing to Maryland.
"He never once wavered, man. And to me, this kid, the sky is the limit for his talent level. He expects to come in the mail room and work his way up. He doesn't want it any other way. He wants to come in and learn and be a sponge," Locksley said last week.
"He's a special kid, man. And I'm really excited to have a chance to coach him."
