Marcus Washington with Kentucky coach Will Stein
Kentucky offensive coordinator Joe Sloan made a trip to California to watch freshman Marcus Washington throw and liked what he saw so much from the quarterback that he offered a scholarship.
“He invited me to do an unofficial visit. I went and they told me about the camp, so I ended up coming back with my head coach,” said Washington.
That camp was last week and Kentucky coach Will Stein and other UK coaches kept a close eye on the 6-foot-3, 170-pound quarterback from Cajon High School in San Bernardino, Calif., who is 16 years old. He threw for over 1,900 yards and 21 touchdowns in nine games in 2025 and also ran for over 600 yards and five more scores to show he was a true dual-threat quarterback.
Washington also has offers already from Arizona, North Carolina, Syracuse and Arizona State. Analysts like his quick release and elusiveness. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds at the UK camp, a time he called “pretty average” for him and was not his best.
“The camp was really good. All the coaches were great and I got to compete with some elite players,” he said. “The UK coaches are all very enthusiastic but I was kind of used to that from being around them.”
He knew Stein when he was the offensive coordinator at Oregon before coming to Kentucky and liked the “vibe” at Kentucky.
“The coaches are people I can talk to outside of football. I felt comfortable when I first met them all. Also knowing how good they are in their system is really good,” Washington said. “I didn’t know what exactly to expect on my first visit to Kentucky. The environment was great. The Kentucky logo is everywhere.”
Washington admitted “fighting for a job was rough” last season but he’s expecting to throw for twice as many yards his sophomore season.
“I am just trying to get to a pace where everything is easy for me,” he said. “Everything last year was fast. This year everything is moving slower. This year it is more of a mental thing than physical. I have got the physical part now.”
The recruiting attention has not bothered Washington.
“I have been dealing with a lot of pressure since I was young,” he said. “I like the recruiting attention and at the Kentucky camp I wanted to show off all I could do so they could really see what all I can do.”
He admits Kentucky is recruiting him “hard” currently but he’s going to be patient with the process.
“I am looking for a school where I have great relationships with the coaches,” he said.
Washington grew up playing baseball, basketball and swimming. He recently stopped playing basketball so he could concentrate solely on football.
He also takes pride in his academics.
“I have always been a 4.0 or 3.8 (grade-point average student) since I was young,” he said. “I take pride in my academics just like I do my athletics.”
