LOOK: ESPN's Scott Van Pelt takes photo with Maryland quarterbacks

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

It was a packed house in the Xfinity Center on Wednesday night to watch the Maryland Terrapins knock off No. 17 Wisconsin, 76-68. The big time, Big Ten matchup brought out several noteworthy names, including Maryland alum Scott Van Pelt. The ESPN personality took time to take photos with students and athletes, including Maryland's newest quarterbacks - Justyn Martin and Malik Washington.

Martin and Washington will battle for the QB1 spot during the spring and into the fall, and the belief that this point is that Martin will ultimately become the starter. In fact, ESPN recently predicted that Martin will win the job this fall.

"Why he'll start: The Terrapins, looking to replace Billy Edwards Jr. (Wisconsin transfer), made Martin a priority in the transfer portal and beat Florida for the 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback. Martin appeared in just five games across three seasons at UCLA. He made his first career start and went 22-for-30 with 167 yards and a touchdown in a 27-11 loss to Penn State on Oct. 5. Edwards emerged as a breakout star in his first season as a starter in 2024, and Maryland will hope Martin can make a similar leap working with offensive coordinator Josh Gattis."

And while Martin certainly has more experience at the colligate level when compared to Washington, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see the true freshman taking first team reps at some point during the fall. Washington was one of the highest rated quarterbacks in the 2025 class, with 247 Sports listing him as the No. 2 prospect from the state of Michigan and the No. 5 QB nationally. As a true dual-threat QB, Washington can present a number of issues for any opposing defense. Of course, applying that skillset at the college level is certainly a major challenge for any true freshman signal caller.

Regardless of how it plays out, it's clear that Maryland has two quarterback candidates who should help elevate the Terrapin offense in 2025.

- Enjoy more Maryland coverage on Maryland Terrapins On SI -

More Maryland News


Published |Modified
Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.