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Officially a Ball State legend and one of the most popular players ever to wear the Cardinal and White, Jahwan Edwards now has his sights set on playing on Sundays.
Most Cardinals fans are familiar with the journey that brought "Quake" to Muncie. Edwards was not heavily recruited out of high school despite being ranked as high as 9th on ESPN's list of the top running backs in the country his senior year at Butler High School in Matthews, North Carolina.
"Jahwan Edwards is a success story that everyone associated with college football can appreciate," Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said. "Despite a highly productive high school career, he was not highly recruited. He took a chance and came 10 hours away from home because he believed in our coaching staff and wanted the opportunity to play in the FBS. His commitment, passion and work ethic are tremendous. Edwards has made an impact on the field since the first game of his freshman year - a win over Indiana. He has improved as a student and has developed as a leader. We are very proud of his progress."
The numbers are staggering. Edwards rushed for 786 yards as a freshman before exploding onto the MAC scene with 1,410 yards in 2012. A season of 1110 yards followed, before rushing for 1,252 yards as a senior. When the dust settled Edwards left Ball State as the school's all time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns. He finished his MAC career ranked fifth in both categories.
At times Edwards didn't receive the attention he deserved due to the high flying nature of the Cardinals offense. While quarterback Keith Wenning and wide receiver Willie Snead rewrote the record books themselves, Quake's contributions could always be relied upon. Edwards is a running back who never shies from contact, and is comfortable with a heavy workload.
When Wenning graduated and began his NFL journey, and Willie Snead declared early to follow a similar path, Edwards elected to play out his senior season in Muncie. Despite massive changes to the Ball State offense, Edwards provided much needed senior leadership. He would finish the season fifth in the MAC in rushing yards, averaging better than 104 yards a game, while punching in 12 touchdowns.
Many draft prognosticators seem to think there's a place in the NFL for Edwards. Presently on nfldraftscout.com, he is ranked as the number 10 draft eligible running back, and is projected to be a 6th-7th round pick. Those interested in getting a closer look at Ball State's all time leading rusher can check out the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on January 17th. Edwards will play alongside other NFL hopefuls in a game coached by Mike Holmgren and Mike Martz. Kickoff is at 4pm ET and you can catch it on ESPN2.