4-Star RB Maurice Washington Commits to Nebraska over Arizona State

Nebraska added a high-upside piece to its 2018 recruiting class Wednesday in the form of versatile running back Maurice Washington.

Brian Christopherson of 247Sports provided word of the playmaker's choice of the Cornhuskers. 

Washington is a 4-star prospect who rates as the No. 207 overall recruit in the 2018 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He's also pegged as the 10th-best rusher among the group and the 26th-rated player from the football-rich state of Texas.

It's been a long and winding road for the Trinity Christian High School standout to reach this point.

CBS Bay Area reported in August 2016 he was deemed ineligible for his junior season at Oak Grove High School by the California Interscholastic Federation after transferring from The King's Academy because his mother sent an email suggesting the move was motivated by athletics, which is against the state's rules.

Washington told Ally Williams of Get Sports Focus his decision to switch schools came because he started to feel like an outcast away from the football field.

"I'm not one to be alone but I was always alone there. I maybe had one or two friends," he said. "Football was my escape, that's when I had all my friends and the fans were there. Then when I walked off the field, they were just gone. It was just…me again."

The setback came after the explosive running back enjoyed a terrific sophomore season at The King's Academy and then shined one the offseason camp circuit.

He ended up moving to Texas and joined the Trinity Christian squad for 2017.

Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports got a close-up look at Washington during the Chicago Showcase in March 2016 and came away impressed:

Controversy aside, his on-field skill set is highly intriguing. He possesses a rare combination of first-step acceleration, straight-line speed and vision coming out of the backfield. He does a great job of seeing a hole and using that initial burst to get to the next level of the defense.

At 6'1" and 190 pounds, he doesn't currently project as an every-down rusher in college. But once he gets comfortable within the offensive scheme, he should still see a fair share of touches while being utilized as a running back, slot receiver and special-teams weapon.

Ultimately, Washington is exactly the type of player who can quietly bolster a class. He probably won't generate a ton of attention due to his unsettled positional role and lack of ideal size, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him develop into one of the best players from the 2018 Nebraska class.

His most likely path to playing time early in his Cornhuskers career will come on special teams as a possible asset in the return game. From there, his offensive involvement should steadily rise until he becomes a stalwart member of the unit in various roles as an upperclassman.