COLLEGE PARK — Maryland defensive end Quashon Fuller enjoys cooking on and off the football field.

The 6-foot-3, 264-pound redshirt senior usually hosts a weekly dinner for his defensive line teammates (and some stragglers) at his apartment. He whips up the meal, and the players watch an NFL or college football game or review game film as part of Fuller’s plan to further connect them.

Fuller — who made four tackles and forced a fumble in the team’s 42-28 loss to No. 23 Indiana on Saturday — buys the ingredients and spends a couple of hours in the kitchen. By the end, he uses a towel to wipe his brow, and his black “Chef Qua” apron is stained, but the exertion is rewarding.

“Just being able to do something that I love and it kind of touches other people, I feel like that makes it all worth it,” he said. “It’s not only a blessing to be able to sit here with all of these guys, it’s also a blessing to be able to share something that seems so small.”

Last Thursday, Fuller opened his home to a reporter. Here is what unfolded as he prepared fried chicken and red velvet waffles:

Fuller poured two large bottles of peanut oil into a deep fryer and then seasoned almost 40 pieces of chicken while the fryer got hot. He mixed two boxes of red velvet cake with eggs, two cups of half-and-half, and one cup each of vegetable oil and vanilla extract.

Fuller’s prowess in the kitchen began when he was 12 years old. With his mother Mechelle Hadley working long hours as a bus driver, Fuller cooked meals for his younger brother Dequaveon Fuller and uncle Robert Hadley, who was battling cancer.Fuller admitted that his dishes were unrefined.

“I was dabbling, but my dabbling was horrible,” he said, recalling a time when he tried to make a chicken dish. “I used to put all types of seasoning on there that was wrong. I think I got nervous and threw honey on there.”

Fuller said he began spending time with his mother when she was in the kitchen. They talked and shared, but he also observed her skills.

Fuller said he refrained from showing his mother and older sister Kwametra Schley what he learned until a few years ago when he prepared for them a meal of stuffed chicken mixed with pasta. He said he knew he had improved based on his sister’s reaction.

“She’s one of those ones who will be like, ‘The food’s all right,’ and then she’ll try to go home and cook it herself,” he said.

When the fryer didn’t get hot enough, Fuller hopped on a video call with his mother, who walked him through resetting the heating unit and adding a little water to the fryer. While frying the chicken, Fuller poured the red velvet batter into a waffle maker.

After frying the chicken and making the waffles, Fuller put the finished products in the oven to keep them warm. He also mixed a large pitcher of mango Kool-Aid and chilled it in the refrigerator.

Fuller, who grew up in Fort Myers, Florida, and spent three years at Florida State before transferring to the Terps before the 2022 season, didn’t initially plan to cook for his teammates. But in 2022, former defensive linemate Anthony “Tank” Booker Jr. sampled Fuller’s Christmas meal of ribeye steak, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and then spread the word.

Fuller, who began cooking for his teammates last season, said he usually makes pasta alfredo for dinner. If he ventures out, he likes the hot honey and lemon pepper chicken sandwich with tater tots at Milk & Honey Southern Inspired Kitchen and the breakfast combo of pancakes, eggs and meat at Iron Rooster in College Park. A splurge is a dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen in Washington.

Fuller admitted that he won’t eat certain items such as tomatoes, guacamole, seafood and cilantro.

“I’m a picky eater,” he said. “I think that’s why it’s good to be the chef.”

Before 9 p.m., a defensive line group of senior Samuel Adu, redshirt sophomore Daniel Owens, freshman Joshua Simmons, and sophomores Dillan Fontus and Lavon Johnson arrived. Adu said he favors Fuller’s baked beans.

“He enjoys cooking,” Adu said. “So you can taste the love.”

Senior wide receiver Kaden Prather and Fontus hired Fuller to make Valentine’s Day dinners for them and their dates. Fontus said the meal of ribs and macaroni and cheese was enough to make his girlfriend think that Fuller was a chef, not a football player.

“I had to explain to her that he was my teammate,” Fontus said.

Obviously, reaching the NFL is the objective for Fuller.

But he said would consider opening a high-class brunch restaurant with his mother or becoming a personal chef for someone like NBA superstar LeBron James, pop icon Beyonce or rap artist Kodak Black.

“Just imagine though LeBron’s like, ‘Hey, yo, Qua, the family’s trying to eat some food,’” he said. “That’s when you’re like, ‘I’m really cooking for LeBron James.’”

Fuller is sharing his passion for cooking with his 6-year-old nephew, Kyrie Gloster, who helped him cook stuffed shells before the game against UConn on Aug. 31. Gloster now wants to help in the kitchen every time he visits “Uncle Boom,” which is Fuller’s nickname.

“I feel like growing up where I’m from, there really aren’t many good influences,” he said. “My dad wasn’t a very good influence, and his dad’s not a good influence. I just feel like something that’s as positive as this, I hope it rubs off on him. It keeps me going.”

At about 9:15 p.m., senior defensive tackle Tommy Akingbesote and redshirt freshman linebackers Neeo Avery and Darius Grimes arrived. They also brought redshirt freshman wide receiver Parker Jones, a Baltimore native and Boys’ Latin graduate.

Shortly afterward, Fuller distributed plates filled with three pieces of chicken and three waffles, which were drizzled with a vanilla frosting. After Fontus prayed for the food, talking was replaced by eating.

“I would pay a lot of money for this chicken,” Adu said.

“And I wouldn’t be upset at the price,” Fontus said.

Fuller owns stacks of takeout containers for his teammates to take extra food with them.

“I’d rather they walk out with it,” he said. “I know I can make it again.”

Informed of his teammates’ reactions, Fuller beamed with pride. He said he usually waits until everyone else has at least finished one plate before he eats.

“I honestly get more full off their reactions than the food,” he said.