Edwards firm, will enroll early

After taking his official visit to Duke last weekend, three-star cornerback Evrett Edwards (Woodbridge, Va.) knew he was home.

Evrett Edwards will enroll at Duke next month.

“I absolutely loved it,” Edwards said. “Penn State, Pittsburgh, Illinois and Duke all were recruiting me hard, so I had a decision to make. I took an official to Illinois (weekend of Nov. 30) and took one to Duke. Fell in love with it (again). I was real comfortable with the coaching staff and the players and everything around it.”



Edwards felt like he was a fit with the current Blue Devils.

“It was just the players,” he said. “I felt real comfortable with them and with the conversations we had. I felt like the players there were more like me as opposed to players at other places.”



Duke fits Edwards, who speaks multiple languages and is an honor student, academically.

“It being a liberal arts school, it’s real flexible with what I want to major in,” Edwards, who intends to pursue a double degree, said. “Most of the classes will count toward your major as well. I also really liked the whole schedule of everything. The learning environment was great. It was a bit more tense at other schools and they were not as flexible with the schedule.”



Duke will make its first bowl trip since the 1994 season when it plays Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 27 in Charlotte, N.C. The Blue Devils finished 6-6 this past season and defeated archrival North Carolina.

“That’s huge,” he said. “Last time they went to a bowl game it was the year I was born. The only way you can go is up and they are doing just that under (Blue Devils head coach) David Cutcliffe. It’s nice to see the smart kids can also play sports. Their football program is getting some notoriety and that’s real nice.”



Edwards will enroll at Duke in January and will participate in spring practice with the Blue Devils.


“That’s real exciting,” he said. “I get the chance to get some academics out of the way before football season starts. I can graduate in 2.5, 3 years and start on my masters while I am still on scholarship. From a football standpoint, they are losing a lot of defensive backs, so that gives me an advantage over some of the other players that are enrolling with my class.”

Edwards is the nation’s No. 68 cornerback prospect and the No. 32 overall prospect in the state of Virginia according to 247Sports. According to the recruiting industry-generated 247Composite, Edwards is the No. 52 cornerback and Virginia’s No. 27 overall prospect. He is rated three stars.