4-star RB Robert Washington: 'I love the University of Maryland'

With Maryland running backs Wes Brown, Albert Reid and Brandon Ross all set to be upperclassmen next season, it's start thinking about who could become the next signature piece in the stable of Maryland running backs. Four-star 2016 Southlake Christian Academy (NC) running back Robert Washington could very well be that guy.

Maryland's coaching staff offered the prospect in November, joining a number of national schools in its pursuit of Washington. The prospect holds opportunities at nearly every corner of the map, claiming offers from UCLA, Florida, Penn State, TCU and Notre Dame, among others.

"It was great. It's a great offer," Washington said when asked about the Terrapins' offer.  "I love the University of Maryland. I went up for a visit after the DMV NFTC Camp last year. I loved talking to Coach Powell when he was there. When Coach Dunn gave me the offer, it was amazing. Dwayne [Haskins] texted me asking, "You got it? That's what's up.'"

A four-star prospect by the 247Sports composite, Washington has a high opinion of the Maryland program. When asked what he finds appealing about the school, Washington credited Stefon Diggs for putting the program on the map, as well as the coaching staff's demeanor.

"Well obviously everyone knows who Stefon Diggs is. I knew him before I even got my offer from them," Washington said. "I learned how human the coaches are, and how down to earth they are. They're serious about their recruiting, and they're serious about recruiting me. It's how seriously they take their program. That's what I like about Maryland."

Washington participated in the U-18 International Bowl on January 30^th, and competed, as well as enhanced, friendships with a couple of familiar names to Maryland fans.

"It was an honor. It's the highest honor you can get," said Washington. "Me, Dwayne Haskins, Trevon Diggs, everyone was down there. It was a great honor. You know, we're all friends, so we got to hang out and have fun the whole week and we played our hearts out when it came to the game."

Throughout his week in Dallas, Washington had a chance to practice with some of the best high school players in the country. With competing came the opportunity to discuss future plans with other great players.

"Obviously we've been talking about which school we're going to go to. You don't want to go in alone," he said. "It's nice to have a quarterback and a wide receiver because they help me in the run game. If I have a quarterback that can feed me the rock and a wide receiver that can catch it, defenses can have a tough time stacking the box. So, obviously we were down there talking about colleges and where we might end up."

The composite lists Washington as the 16th-best running back in the nation and the seventh-best player in North Carolina. He's taking a unique approach to his recruitment, specifically in terms of announcing which schools will make the final cut.

"No, I don't really have a school that stands out right now," Washington said. "I'm still in the process of releasing my top schools. I already released two schools that are in it (UNC & Syracuse). I have some other schools I'm thinking about also. I'm thinking I'll release the third school maybe Sunday or Monday. I'll probably release a school every couple of weeks until I commit in March, then I'll have all the schools that I'm choosing from."

Maryland fans will be hoping to hear the Terps' name on that list soon.