Peoria's top high school football player finds his college home right here in Illinois

Adam Duvall, Journal Star
·2 min read
Peoria High senior Malachi Washington rushed for 3,348 yards and 53 touchdowns on 407 carries this season, leading the Lions to a berth in the Class 5A state championship game in Champaign. He is the 2022 Journal Star Football Player of the Year.

Word to the wise, defensive coordinators of the Great Lakes Valley Conference: Good luck stopping Malachi Washington.

The Peoria High all-state running back signed with McKendree University on Wednesday afternoon, taking his bruising running style to the southern Illinois Division-II program in Lebanon.

The Bearcats are members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, comprised of 13 private and public colleges across Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana.

Get to know Malachi:This Peoria High running back loves yard work — on a tractor and on a football field

Why he chose McKendree

Washington, who is slated to play running back for McKendree, comes off an incredible senior season during which he rushed for 3,348 yards and 53 touchdowns, leading the Lions to a Class 5A state runner-up finish. His recruitment only really began to pick up after he ran for 275 yards and a championship game record-tying six touchdowns last November.

Ultimately, McKendree fulfilled all of Washington’s student-athlete needs.

“They meet my academic goals, and my athletic goals,” the 2022 Journal Star football player of the year said, “I love the coaches. I love the players. I love the dorms. I love everything about it.

“I feel like it’s a great choice for me.”

Washington plans to major in kinesiology. The 5-foot-10, 206-pounder aspires to one day become an athletic trainer. Maybe even at football’s highest level.

“I want to do internships with NFL teams,” he said.

Peoria High's run to Champaign:Every story from the Lions push to the Class 5A football championship game

Feeling at home

Other colleges like Upper Iowa University and Roosevelt University were in the mix for his talents. He also had conversations with Western Illinois.

Washington, though, says he had a great McKendree visit with the campus feeling like home. Three of Washington’s former Peoria High teammates — Rayshun Buckner, Darryl Netters, Jr. and Eddie Clark — were on the 2022 roster for the Bearcats, who finished 5-6 overall under head coach Mike Babcock.

“They reached out to me,” Washington said, “and they’re pretty excited and I’m excited too. I can’t wait to get there and get to work.”

Also joining Washington as an incoming freshman are Pekin defensive lineman Brayden Beckham and Peoria Notre Dame kicker Dillon Bare.

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria High all-stater Malachi Washington signs with McKendree