by Bill Seals
Now that his commitment is out of the way, a Texas high school cornerback pledged to attend Iowa State has turned his focus to his current team as well as the one he will help defensively in future years.
Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy senior Virdel Edwards said he continues to be encouraged by the direction of the Cyclone program and the promise shown on his side of the ball.
“Me and my dad sit down and watch all the games,” said Edwards. “We notice the certain plays and everything. It’s fun to watch. It’s so similar to what we play. We connect on everything. It’s just like watching our team play. The defense and level of play continue to go up. They’re striving to be the best team they can be.”
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Edwards committed to the Cyclones in mid-September after a pre-season camp visit to Ames. He is a three-star prospect with a 5.5 Rivals rating who also had Power-5 offers from Colorado, Purdue and Texas Tech.
He said one of the aspects that led him to Ames over the other locales was that it would be a seamless transition to Jon Heacock’s system.
“They like the drive that I have,” Edwards said. “They showed clips of how their defense is similar to ours and I play the same technique that their DBs in certain coverages. We have Cover-2, Cover-3, Cover-4 and man technique…there are different ways you can play on and off. The clips really match up to the style of defense they play.”
Edwards, who has taken a pair of unofficial visits to I-State, said he will likely target an official visit for early December. He said it was his first experience in Ames that laid the foundation for his decision.
“It all started off with a visit and everything went well with that,” he said. “We saw the academic programs and how they handle everything with the tutors. The dorms are really nice. I like how the campus is set up. The people are just so generous and come up and talk to you. They make sure you feel welcome and like you’re at home. That really set the standard for every other place I went. I took my elimination process from there.”
He said the bond he began to form with the staff at the time was perhaps the biggest factor in his commitment.
“That first visit and talk with Coach (Matt) Campbell and all the other coaches…they explained it was more than just football,” Edwards said. “It carries on after. You could have football now but you could get hurt or anything could happen. It’s good to have a college plan and to get your degree. They really pushed that.”
Edwards is one of 21 known commitment for the Cyclones’ 2019 class and one of four listed as a defensive back in the Rivals database.
Now that his commitment is out of the way, a Texas high school cornerback pledged to attend Iowa State has turned his focus to his current team as well as the one he will help defensively in future years.
Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy senior Virdel Edwards said he continues to be encouraged by the direction of the Cyclone program and the promise shown on his side of the ball.
“Me and my dad sit down and watch all the games,” said Edwards. “We notice the certain plays and everything. It’s fun to watch. It’s so similar to what we play. We connect on everything. It’s just like watching our team play. The defense and level of play continue to go up. They’re striving to be the best team they can be.”
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Edwards committed to the Cyclones in mid-September after a pre-season camp visit to Ames. He is a three-star prospect with a 5.5 Rivals rating who also had Power-5 offers from Colorado, Purdue and Texas Tech.
He said one of the aspects that led him to Ames over the other locales was that it would be a seamless transition to Jon Heacock’s system.
“They like the drive that I have,” Edwards said. “They showed clips of how their defense is similar to ours and I play the same technique that their DBs in certain coverages. We have Cover-2, Cover-3, Cover-4 and man technique…there are different ways you can play on and off. The clips really match up to the style of defense they play.”
Edwards, who has taken a pair of unofficial visits to I-State, said he will likely target an official visit for early December. He said it was his first experience in Ames that laid the foundation for his decision.
“It all started off with a visit and everything went well with that,” he said. “We saw the academic programs and how they handle everything with the tutors. The dorms are really nice. I like how the campus is set up. The people are just so generous and come up and talk to you. They make sure you feel welcome and like you’re at home. That really set the standard for every other place I went. I took my elimination process from there.”
He said the bond he began to form with the staff at the time was perhaps the biggest factor in his commitment.
“That first visit and talk with Coach (Matt) Campbell and all the other coaches…they explained it was more than just football,” Edwards said. “It carries on after. You could have football now but you could get hurt or anything could happen. It’s good to have a college plan and to get your degree. They really pushed that.”
Edwards is one of 21 known commitment for the Cyclones’ 2019 class and one of four listed as a defensive back in the Rivals database.
