Shane Cockerille said after the spring of his sophomore year, he went to then-Maryland coach Randy Edsall and asked if he could switch to defense.
Cockerille, who was in the process of moving from quarterback to fullback, remained on offense, including playing the second half at quarterback in a home loss to Indiana.
When DJ Durkin took over in December, Cockerille made the same request. This time, Cockerille seems to have found a role at inside linebacker, where he could start Saturday's opener against Howard.
"I definitely feel it's a blessing for me, it obviously says a lot about me and who I am, moving around from position to position and willing to do whatever," Cockerille said Wednesday. "When I was placed at linebacker, I kind of took it as an opportunity and ran with it. It's kind of what I wanted to do for awhile now and I finally got my chance."
Cockerille appreciates how much of a lifeline Durkin and his staff extended when it came to what had been a disappointing career for the former four-star quarterback at Gilman.
"They flipped it totally upside for me," Cockerille said. "Opportunity with a new staff, for a new slate. I feel pretty good. I can't wait for the first game."
Durkin said that he took Cockerille's initial request as coming from a player looking to help the team win, though he knows Cockerille also saw little chance to continue on offense.
"You don't want to be a guy that's forgotten about," Durkin said Tuesday. "He's totally embraced this move. He's going to play a bunch and help us on defense. I think it's kind of the mentality that he enjoys. That's probably how he built."
Durkin said Cockerille has had to play catchup when it comes to technique, "but he's really cleaned up a lot of that and he looks really good out there."
Defensive coordinator Andy Buh said Wednesday that Cockerille seems suited for the new position.
"He brings a toughness to that position, which is required," Buh said. "He's transitioned pretty well. He's still working through some of the eye progressions we're having him do. The inside linebacker position in this defense might be the most complicated in terms of what he needs to know schematically."
Buh said that Cockerille's experience at quarterback should help him in the transition to linebacker.
"I think coming from that position, I think he's got a wider scope in terms of his eyes, which is really needed. He sees the entire formation, he sees the entire field. The game probably slows down a little bit faster for a guy like that," Buh said.
If there is one part of the transition Cockerille has enjoyed the most, it's hitting people after years of getting hit. Cockerille experienced that in a limited role at safety and linebacker at Gilman, typically in non-league games.
"You finally get to be the nail," he said with a smile.
