COLLEGE PARK — Shane Cockerille knew going in that transitioning from high school star at Gilman to getting on the field at Maryland would be difficult. With three other quarterbacks piled above him on the depth chart, Cockerille understood that it would be the biggest challenge of his athletic career.
Looking back, Cockerille says he couldn't have predicted just how tough the transition would become.
Cockerille, whose playing style and lefthandedness once drew comparisons to former Florida star Tim Tebow, admitted recently that the adjustment was not just on the field.
"Freshman year was a little hectic for me, just getting accustomed to college life," he said. "Quarterback takes a lot of work, if you're willing to put in the work. Freshman year I wasn't really spending the time I should have. Obviously the depth chart showed it."
Cockerille's only chance to play as a redshirt freshman this past season came on special teams. But with the graduation of C.J. Brown and with expected starter Caleb Rowe still recovering from the second torn anterior cruciate ligament of his career, Cockerille and redshirt junior Perry Hills have had an opportunity to showcase their ability in spring practice.
Going into Saturday's annual Red-White spring game, there has been little to distinguish between Cockerille and Hills, mostly because both have struggled with consistency. A breakthrough performance Saturday at Byrd Stadium could give one of them a chance to solidify the backup job — and potentially a starting role to begin the season.
"It's a very important spring, given the opportunity with Caleb being down and C.J. leaving. It's really up to me and Perry right now," Cockerille said. "It's a huge opportunity in my hands to lead and get everybody on this team to rally behind you."
Maryland's offensive has been inconsist throughout the spring, which isn't solely because of the quarterbacks. A lack of healthy bodies in key positions on the offensive line and in the receiving corps has also contributed to a pair of disappointing intrasquad scrimmages.
Still, Maryland coach Randy Edsall has seen progress from Cockerille, a player once considered a prized recruit.
"I think the thing that Shane has done is that he's matured more," Edsall said. "He's being more of a quarterback than what he was previously. I think he's still getting better at it. There's still plenty of room for improvement, and that's what he's got to do."
What Edsall wants is for Cockerille to stay patient in the pocket more than he had to in high school, where at 6 feet 2 and 205 pounds he was strong enough and fast enough to get out of trouble. The inability to break that tendency has held Cockerille back at Maryland.
"Going through this whole spring, I've been focused on just staying in the pocket more," said Cockerille, who has added about 15 pounds since high school. "Coming from a run-heavy offense in high school, I was always on the run and it was easy tendency for me when I first got here that if there was nothing happening, taking off and running."
Wide receiver Levern Jacobs, who returned to the field after sitting out last season for a university suspension, said Cockerille is "doing a great job."
"He's developed a lot, actually," Jacobs said. "He's one of the guys that worked on scout team all season, and I think that kind of helped him going into the spring."
Asked where Cockerille has shown the most improvement, Jacobs said, "His accuracy, [getting] in and out the plays, dissecting the defense, things like that. He's one of the guys that's been in the meeting room with us. Our chemistry has been really good."
Hills got an opportunity to start the first seven games as a true freshman in 2012, when Brown was injured, but he played in only one game at quarterback last season.
While Cockerille hasn't had that chance in real games, sharing the first-team reps with Hills this spring has at least helped him gain some experience. He also has gained some perspective.
"Getting these first-team reps, it's definitely an eye-opening experience," Cockerille said after a disappointing performance during a Mar. 28 intrasquad scrimmage. "You see good things, you see bad things, you try to learn from the things you messed up on and not make the same mistake twice."
After the scimmage, played in 30-degree temperatures and a biting wind, Edsall said he was "a little disappointed" in Cockerille's lack of leadership.
"I didn't think Shane took as much charge out there. He let the elements bother him," Edsall said. "Those are the things you can't do. Your hands might get cold or whatever. You can't let that happen."
Cockerille wound up getting more time with the first team offense this spring than Hills, partly because the redshirt junior came in nursing a sore hamstring that cost him several practices and also because Cockerille had shown improvement in terms of his passing skills.
"He's improved, but we've got to get him to the level where he can do the things necessary to lead our team," said offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Locksley, whose son, Kai, was one of Cockerille's receivers at Gilman and eventually took over at quarterback after Cockerille graduated.
"As a thrower, his accuracy has some things we're goinig to continue to work on. He has a deep understanding of what we want to do — the execution, knowing where to go with the football — but now we'e got to do it at a consistent level."
Locksley doesn't think Cockerille's lack of experience should impact his leadership qualities. He's hoping to see the quarterback show the same confidence he played with at Gilman, where Cockerille led the Greyhounds to MIAA A Conference titles his junior and senior years and was an All-Metro pick as a senior.
"He's played quarterback his whole life," Locksley said. "Whether they're a freshman or a four year veteran, when you walk out there and when you touch the ball on each play, you've got to walk out there and own it."