COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Despite playing on the defensive line at Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy, Cavon Walker came to College Park as a freshman in 2013 with a 215-pound frame and was initially pegged by former Terps head coach Randy Edsall and his staff as a college linebacker.

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Three years, a return to the defensive line and 60 added pounds later, the 6-foot-2, 280-pound redshirt junior will be Maryland’s starting defensive tackle for the Terps’ season opener Sept. 3 against Howard.

“The biggest part of the transition for me was the weight,” Walker said Aug. 30. “Everybody knows I came in at about 215 [pounds], now I’m 280. That was the hardest thing for me. I played on the defensive line in high school. I came in as a freshman and played defensive end, so it’s nothing new to me. The defensive tackle spot is a little different, but I feel like my speed on the inside will help me elevate my game to another level.”

Walker has long been considered one of the strongest Terps on the team. With a bench press exceeding more than 400 pounds, Walker knew all he needed was to get some more weight behind his power in order to thrive in the trenches.

Walker said he progressively gained weight starting in his freshman year and reached about 250 pounds while rehabbing the foot he broke in his sophomore season. He said that was about the time that Edsall went to him and asked if he’d be willing to switch to defensive end. Walker then got up to 260 pounds and platooned between defensive end and defensive tackle last season. He kept transforming his body until he hit his current weight, and Walker added that it didn’t hurt to have one of his favorite places to eat close by.

"Coming in at 218 [pounds], me living on campus, I was in the diner a lot," Walker said. "Late nights, me and the team would be in there 10 o'clock at night, eating, laughing, talking. Also, I love Chipotle. It was five minutes from my room. Every day, I would have at least one bowl."

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But in order to maintain his speed and power while putting on the weight, Walker had to stay mindful of his diet and the amount of burrito bowls he consumed.

"I was trying to eat a little better to put on the weight the right way because I knew I needed to get bigger to play inside because those double teams are going to be serious as everybody knows," Walker said. "I was already strong, so I needed to get the weight with my strength and now I can be a dominant player inside."

Besides a new and improved body, Walker believes some of the skills he picked up as a linebacker will also help him transition back to the defensive line and make him a force to be reckoned with for blockers.

"When I played Sam [linebacker], I had to check the slot [receiver], so jammed a lot, I was good with my hands," Walker said. "When I punch, my punch power is very — I don't want to build myself — but I'm a very strong guy. I'm good with my hands and my speed is one thing I brought with me from linebacker to defensive line. So I got used to the weight, kept my speed up and got stronger.”

Maryland’s new head coach D.J. Durkin pointed out at his weekly pre-game press conference Tuesday that Walker’s transition won’t come without its challenges. A former college linebacker himself, Durkin knows that playing with a hand in the dirt as opposed to standing on defense takes different skill sets.

"When you're on the line of scrimmage lined up right over a guy, it's a different set of skills that it takes," Durkin said. "Your window of vision [is narrower] and it needs to be that way. It's much more technical and defined when you're playing defensive line.

"The littlest step, the littlest hand placement or eyes in the wrong place can really get you in trouble. The further you get from the ball, you have more leeway. If you take a wrong step, you have time to make it up, you have time and distance in your favor."

But Walker’s grasp of the defensive tackle position has already impressed Durkin enough to earn him a starting role, for now.

Walker does not want to take his position on what Terps players and coaches are referring to as a “fluid depth chart” for granted, but he believes it’s his knowledge of the playbook and the extra time he has put in during the offseason that has separated him from other defensive tackles contending to start like David Shaw and Azubuike Ukandu.

“I’m just going to keep pushing forward and keep working,” Walker said. “I’m at the top of the depth chart right now but that could change any day. So you have to keep your mind right and can’t get complacent. You’ve got to keep working.

“I feel like I know the defense very well. I know all the plays for the defensive line--every position. I also feel like my work shows for itself. I put in a lot of work in the offseason. Even when we weren’t practicing, I would go on the field by myself and do extra work. I invited my teammates along and we worked together. So I feel like that’s what put me over the top.”

Walker is set to lineup on Maryland’s defensive front next to junior nose tackle Kingsely Opara, who he said impresses him with the things he can do with a 6-foot-3, 300-pound frame.

“Kingsley is a bigger guy but he is also a freak of nature,” Walker said. “He’s flexible, he’s fast, he’s strong, he can do anything you need from a defensive line standpoint, even go out on the edge sometimes if he needs to. Kingsley is a great guy. He works hard, has numerous pass-rush moves and I can’t wait to be out there with him.”

Walker was one of four Friendship players to join the Terps 2013 class along with junior linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr., sophomore offensive lineman Derwin Gray and former Maryland defensive end, now Jacksonville Jaguar, Yannick Ngakoue.

Walker came to College Park with perhaps the least amount of hype between him and his high school teammates, but he has grown into a major contributor for the Terps. He said it’s nice to have some of his fellow Friendship alum along for the ride at Maryland with him and now he’s also thrilled to get to play again for his former high school coach and current Terps defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim.

“We always reminisce on everything about that because we love our alma mater,” Walker said. “With Coach Rahim here, it’s amazing having him around. We’re always talking about how friendship was and stuff like that...But you can’t live too much in the past. We’re just trying to get better and move forward.”