When Michael Dunn stepped foot on the Maryland football practice field as a walk-on offensive linemen out of nearby Bethesda, Md., in 2012, he had no idea that just a few years later he would be suiting up for an NFL team. 

Dunn, who graduated from Maryland with a degree in economics in 2016, worked his way from a member of the Terrapin scout team offense as a freshman to a four-year starter and core piece of the offensive line from 2013-16, earning two Honorable Mention Big Ten selections. While the NFL seemed unfathomable as a freshman walk-on, it became more attainable with each collegiate start. 

After his senior season, the NFL dream got a little more challenging after Dunn had labrum surgery, which prevented him from participating in Pro Day. He spent time with the Los Angeles Rams throughout the 2017 season and 2018 training camp and realized how hard it would be to push through the injury and recover to the level necessary to remain in the NFL. However, football is his passion and he wanted to keep playing. 

"I just love football so much," explained Dunn. "I played it my entire life. I don't really know anything else at this point. I just can't see myself easily walking away." 

The newly formed Alliance of American Football (AAF) signed the offensive lineman, where he played the 2019 season. Dunn was able to get game repetitions and actual time on the field, which he believes he needed to create longevity in his career and get him back on an NFL roster. He was also able to garner valuable film that he could send to coaches and personnel directors to let them know he was still on the market. 

On the market he was. Following the AAF season, Dunn was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. The opportunity, going against top-flight NFL defenders, including Maryland's own Yannick Ngakoue, was extremely valuable for Dunn. 

"Practicing against great players like Calais Campbell and Malik Jackson on a daily basis is huge," said Dunn. "Going against them every single day in practice only helped me get better."

Now, Dunn has made his once far-fetched NFL dream a reality, spending 2019 training camp with the Miami Dolphins, seeing action at guard in the first two preseason games. 

When asked what he misses the most about playing football for Maryland, Dunn said "I miss everything about it. To have those five years where you're with your friends every single day, you realize all those little things that you stressed about then were meaningless compared to real-life stressors. To go back to when just being able to play football with your friends and go to class is the toughest thing? I would go back in a second." 

If Dunn could give any piece of advice to current Maryland football players who might experience some of the same things he did working toward their NFL dream, he would tell them, "Just keep plugging away." Dunn also emphasized how his story isn't necessarily the craziest, and how he's heard of undrafted players making their way onto teams. "I've seen crazier stories."

Dunn hasn't lost his connection to the University of Maryland and it's players, either. He watches out for any news on the Maryland football team every single week and makes sure he's by a TV for every Maryland game on Saturdays.  Dunn still knows many of the players on the current team, some of whom are his friends and people he played with during his time at Maryland. 

But for right now, Dunn is the latest Terp living out his NFL dream.