Maryland Football: CFB analyst David Pollack tabs Malik Washington as Big Ten breakout player

Outlets seem divided on the QB situation at Maryland. Some are picking head coach Mike Locksley to roll with UCLA transfer Justyn Martin, while others believe it will be the true freshman. For Pollack, it's not even a question.

"There's a lot of people that are going, 'hey, we don't want to name our starter at quarterback because we don't want people to leave.' They're like, 'we've got this dude, we paid him money, he's here, he's gonna go start.' He's got this ability, he's gonna be next-level.'"

Following spring ball, Locksley declined to name a starting QB, saying that battle would continue during fall camp. But Pollack is right about Washington's skill set, and it seems unlikely that Locksley will keep him on the sidelines for too long. The Terps are still a team that needs more pieces before they can legitimately compete with the upper tier of the Big Ten, but Pollack believes that having Washington is a good start.

"So when you watch Maryland this year, I'm not saying that it's always going to be good, because you're a freshman QB. You're going to take lumps. But he's a guy that has a lot of talent, and if they can bottle it up, they can find a way to get some W's. Maryland, they can stay in games and score points sometimes, but he's the guy. He could be on a lot of rosters. He could be on just about anybody's roster in the country, but he's on Maryland's."