Freshman Dylan Edwards brings electricity to CU Buffs offense – The Denver Post
At 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 170 pounds, Dylan Edwards is the smallest running back on the Colorado roster.
The dynamic true freshman certainly doesn’t view himself as a small back, however, and he doesn’t play small.
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know if 5-9 is too small,” he said. “I guess it’s small. I try not to play small. That’s just not what I think about going on the field. … I’m going out there with a fierce mentality to go and ball.”
CU will open its season on Sept. 2 at TCU (10 a.m. MT, Fox) and Edwards is one of the most intriguing players on an offense filled with intriguing playmakers.
“Dylan Edwards is a phenomenal, electrifying player,” CU head coach Deion Sanders said early in preseason camp. “We plan on having him returning kicks as well as getting the ball to him as much as possible.”
A four-star recruit coming out of Derby (Kan.) High School this year, Edwards played for Sanders in youth football years ago before the family moved to Kansas. He then starred at Derby and received three dozen scholarship offers from schools around the country.
Edwards initially committed to Kansas State but then flipped his pledge to Notre Dame after the Fighting Irish gave him an offer last summer. He was a few weeks away from signing his letter of intent with Notre Dame when Coach Prime took the job at CU. The Buffs’ staff heavily recruited Edwards and he made the decision to come to Boulder.
“It took a lot of talking to my parents and stuff like that, and also to Notre Dame,” Edwards said. “I had a great relationship with (Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough); that’s my guy. So leaving him was definitely hard, but I’m happy where I’m at.
“It definitely did hurt (to turn down Notre Dame), but at the end of the day, I had to do what was best for me.”
Edwards got to Boulder in January and hasn’t looked back since.
“It’s been full speed,” he said. “You can’t think about (the past). That’s when your blessings go down. I’m just happy where I’m at and where my feet are.”
Edwards’ feet might be the fastest on the roster and he’s routinely made big plays throughout preseason camp. He put on more than 10 pounds of muscle during the spring and summer, which has only helped his game.
“I’ve gained speed,” he said. “I think it was actually at Notre Dame, the head strength coach told me that once you gain muscle, you gain more speed and that actually is right. I gained a lot in my lower half and I’m definitely as fast as I’ve ever been.”
Although Alton McCaskill IV (6-1, 200), Kavosiey Smoke (5-9, 215), Sy’veon Wilkerson (5-9, 210) and Anthony Hankerson (5-9, 195) are more built for between-the-tackles running, Edwards is hardly limited in what he can do.
“I definitely feel ready to play,” Edwards said. “I’m gonna get the ball in space, I’m gonna hopefully get the ball between the tackles. I just try to show the coaches every day that I can be the guy they want me to be.”
With his speed and talent, Edwards can also split out at receiver, and he’ll return kicks.
“I love that, knowing that (the coaches) are creating ways for different guys to get the ball, not just me,” he said.
Edwards’ talent has been evident from the time he arrived in January, but throughout spring ball, the summer and now fall camp, he’s adjusted to college and improved his overall game to be in position to help the Buffs as much as possible.
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“It’s been fun,” he said of preseason camp. “Just coming out here and competing every day, trying to earn my spot on the depth chart. … I know my reads more and I know my assignments.”
He also has confidence and comes to practice every day ready to compete.
“Coach talks about taking care of opportunities, so I just try to do that and try not to look at it as first team reps,” he said. “I just try to prove to myself that I can be that guy every single day. Like I said, we try to take care of every opportunity we can.
“You’re playing football at the end of the day, so you’re just out there doing what you do. That’s really it.”
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