Malcolm Washington finds a home at UNI and at corner

CEDAR FALLS — He was a wide receiver on a high school team that preferred to run. Yet Malcolm Washington found his way to college football.

As a defensive back.

The Northern Iowa junior went to Fresno State and played 26 games at corner. He made seven starts as a true freshman in 2014.

'The only reason I got noticed (by college) was because I used to go to camps and just, like, do 7-on-7s and 1-on-1s,' Washington said. 'Then one day my coach said 'I'm going to put you at DB, just to play it.' The next thing you know it went skyrocketing from there.'

Yeah, skyrocketing. Washington transferred to UNI and leads the Missouri Valley Conference with four interceptions in six games.

His third-quarter pick seemed to help turn last Saturday's game against North Dakota State. The Panthers trailed at the time, 21-6, and were on the verge of being blown out.

Instead they scored after Washington's big play and gave the five-time defending FCS champs a mighty scare before falling, 24-20. Northern Iowa (3-5) plays Saturday afternoon at Indiana State in a must-win game, as far as the Panthers' playoff hopes.

'Malcolm has been really sound for us and has developed each week,' UNI Coach Mark Farley said. 'We didn't know what he was going to be like coming out of Fresno State. He'd never really been taught the corner position. He'd never really played it until he got to college.'

Washington sprained an ankle in fall camp and missed UNI's first two games. He returned and got a starting nod in Week 4.

He's not giving it up.

'It was hard to be on the sideline because I've never been on the sideline injured like that. I wanted to be out there with my team. It hurt,' Washington said. 'But I'm just thankful that I'm in the position I'm in now, with how good I've been playing and also helping my team.'

'He's really, I don't want to say easy, but he is easy to coach because he listens and tries to do it how we expect to do it,' Farley said. 'Each day, he's gotten a little bit better because he's playing the techniques it takes to play the position. He's trying to get better and fit within our defense.'

Washington said he decided to transfer from Fresno State to be closer to home. He is from Houston, and his parents can make the drive to Iowa in 15 hours.

Fresno State has a 1-8 record and just fired its head coach, so it has turned out to be a clairvoyant decision, as well.

'It was just the money situation,' Washington said. 'Being on scholarship, to fly home for Christmas and Thanksgiving, Fresno is kind of like Waterloo. It's a small city. The smaller the airport, the higher the (plane) tickets are.

'It's been real good here. The fans are behind us, it's a good community, they love football. I left a place that loves football, too.'

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