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Both knees wrapped in ice packs, Danny Edwards was deliberate in his choice of steps around the University of Maryland's Gossett Football Team House.

The Tuscarora High graduate is now moving into his fourth season of University of Maryland football as a redshirt junior, and is at home being a Terp.

"I feel like I've had a decent amount of time to get to know the playbook," Edwards said. "It's more about keeping up with the big guys inside."

And now, Edwards has moved up to No. 2 on Maryland's depth chart at center, behind only returning starter Phil Costa.

It's a long way to come for someone who was initially a recruited walk-on and a relatively "scrawny" 6-foot-1, 265-pounder.

"I was a light 265, too," Edwards said. "It wasn't ever really a thought in my mind that I wouldn't make it. My head was just spinning, trying to take it all in."

He's at about 275 pounds now, having trimmed back some pre-camp weight. Costa fits the more traditional frame of a Division-I lineman at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds. To make up for the size disadvantage, Edwards has been making up for it with hard work.

Under a weight-lifting schedule set out by Dwight Galt, the Director of Strength and Conditioning, Edwards figures he's taken no more than a week off in the past year. He met with Coach Tom Brattan, the offensive line coach, to help solidify where he'd be needed for Maryland.

"Whatever they need me to be, I'll do it," Edwards said.

It's a reflection of his high school career, where he began as a defensive tackle. By his sophomore year he was a fullback and linebacker, then moved to guard for his junior year. It wasn't until his senior year that he began playing at center.

Edwards admitted to trying out long-snapper techniques, just to see if he could improve his value to the Terps. He said can get the ball back, but with a margin of error of about a yard. Instead, he's OK staying with the close and shotgun snaps.

Maryland has used him fairly exclusively at center, where last year he was third on the chart behind three-year starter Edwin Williams. Last fall, Edwards got into two games – the 51-24 win over Eastern Michigan and the 26-0 shutout of Wake Forest.

Breaking into last year's offensive line was nearly impossible, with three All-Atlantic Coast Conference performers in the ranks (which included Williams).

Edwards' parents, brother and sister were able to see both games, as they hold season tickets, right next to the family section of Byrd Stadium.

Edwards noted that one of those four tickets is can now be considered an extra, as his brother, Jimmy Edwards, is now a student at Maryland.

Danny Edwards noted that he got to see a few of his brother's games last year, when he played for Tuscarora. It held the added nostalgia of seeing the incarnation of the Titans, a program he helped launch.

When Tuscarora had its first home game in 2002, they had to play on Saturday afternoon because they didn't have lights. It was something that changed by his senior year.

"I remember those first practices under the lights," Edwards said.

"It was something else. I've never really thought about it, but looking back, it's a big jump."