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QO Alum Adjusting to Transition to College Football

Maryland freshman Alex Twine looks to be a contributor for the Terps in rookie season

Entering your freshman year at college is a challenging transition for every college student. For a football player attending a major Division I school, it can be that much more difficult. Making the leap from high school to college is an adjustment that tests even the most talented of athletes.

It's a challenge, though, that Quince Orchard alum Alex Twine has readily accepted and embraced as he adjusts to the game on the collegiate stage at the University of Maryland.

"Stepping on to a college field and playing against everyone that's so good and so fast, it's a lot different," Twine said. "If you take a play off or are out of position, it's a first down or it's a touchdown. In high school, I was one of the biggest and fastest, now everyone is as big as me or bigger. So I have to learn how to play more aggressively with what I've got. But I am here to learn as much as I can and get better every single week."

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Twine has already seen action this season, appearing in the Terps' season-opening 32-24 win over Miami. He is expected to see the field even more as the season progresses, which puts him in rare company as a true freshman.

It all began for Twine in North Potomac at Quince Orchard High School, when he moved from a cornerback his junior year to an outside linebacker, playing under Defensive Coordinator John Kelley. Twine credits Kelley for helping prepare him for this step in his career.

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"The defense that Coach Kelley ran and taught us how to play is a college defense," Twine said. "There are a lot of similarities. And with him being a former college coach, telling me what I need to do and what to key on, helped tremendously."

Twine began to emerge as a star for the Cougars early on in his senior year. According to Kelley, Twine entered that year without any offers from any Division I programs. All that changed quickly, however, in the Cougars' 2010 season – and he was just 16 years old when the season started.

"The way he would strike people and the way he can hit and run, it takes a special kind of athlete. And three or four games in, people started to take notice," Kelley said. "All of the sudden he started getting offers and we kept telling people, this guy is only 16. Just wait until he turns 19 or 20 and becomes a man."

While he didn’t begin to catch the eye of any college coaches until last year, Kelley, who played at Towson University and then spent time coaching on the collegiate level, saw potential in Twine going back to 2009, prior to his junior year. 

"I always knew the way he moved and the way he struck people, there was something there," Kelley said. "When he made a tackle, he made a tackle. There are not many guys who can do it like he does it."

His versatility, Kelley believes, is what makes Twine such a threat. Kelley said his ability to both cover the pass as well as stop the run is what stood out most for college scouts.

Last year, Twine had 52 tackles and forced four fumbles and intercepted three passes for the Cougars and helped guide Quince Orchard to the second round of the playoffs as Twine became an All-Met selection by the Washington Post.  

Now though, he is focused on improving each week and is excited about the future at Maryland.

"Personally, right now, I'm just focusing on learning the playbook, mastering the system, and I'm learning how to comprehend everything," Twine said. "I feel like that if I can do that, then the sky's the limit for me in the next three years."

Kelley agrees.

"If he’s playing Division I football and is in a rotating role as a true freshman, that just tells you what the coaches think about him and his potential," Kelley said. "I think the more reps he gets and the more time goes along, he’s going to get that much better. He’s not scared to hit people. He’s got a real good chance to be a two-year starter there, at a BCS school, there’s no question about it."

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