Ad Disclosure
Paul Rhoads has been recruiting defensive lineman Javier Edwards for years. Before both their circumstances changed dramatically — Rhoads was fired by the Cyclones and Edwards ended up going to junior college — the two nearly connected at Iowa State. Now with a new opportunity to join forces, will the two finally end up on the same team?
After committing to Iowa State in 2015, Edwards never played for the Cyclones and eventually wound up at Blinn Community College. Now that Rhoads has been hired on to coach the secondary for the Razorbacks, Edwards’ interest in Arkansas has been piqued since the Razorbacks offered him a scholarship in June.
“At first, I wasn’t interested because I heard Arkansas wasn’t interested in me, but I heard that Coach Rhoads was there and I was like let me see what that’s all about, and I started learning more and started researching more,” Edwards said according to Richard Davenport of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
But it isn’t just coach Rhoads that has Edwards interested, it’s head coach Bret Bielema. Bielema of course played on the defensive line as well during his days at Iowa.
“He told me he played D-tackle and nose guard, too,” Edwards said. “He said I was much better than him. That’s the first thing he said, and I just laughed. I said, ‘Yeah, you got that right.’ “
While the 6-foot-3, 350-pound Edwards is committed to Florida, thanks to his pre-existing relationship with Rhoads, the door seems to be open for the Razorbacks to sneak in and land Edwards’ signature by the end of his recruitment.
Edwards is currently rated as a three-star prospect, the No. 1 JUCO prospect in Texas and the No. 5 JUCO defensive tackle in the nation, according to 247Sports.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
