Goal No. 3: UNITY. Come together as never before.
#3 Dylan Edwards
True Junior | 5-9 | 175 lbs. | Derby, Kansas
- Position: Running Back
- Previous College: University of Colorado
- Projection: Co-Starter
- Status: On Scholarship
Dylan Edwards (b. Sept. 22, 2004) needs no introduction. And this year, he is all business.
As the most talented running back in Kansas in the 2023 class, Edwards was linked repeatedly to Avery Johnson and, for one blissful month, they were both heading to K-State together to create a new and legendary legacy.
Then money intervened. Two de-commitments later, he ended up as a sideshow in the Sanders family three-ring circus at the University of Colorado
and… well, you know the rest.
Edwards, who is majoring in communications, played in all 12 games of 2023 with six starts for the Buffaloes, including starts in each of the first four games of the season. He registered 321 rushing yards and one touchdown on 76 carries, while he hauled in 36 receptions for 299 yards and four scores.
Edwards became the first true freshman at Colorado with at least 250 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards in the same year, while it was only the ninth time ever in school history.
He had the most receiving touchdowns by a CU true freshman since 2010, while he tied for the most receiving touchdowns by a running back (Ricard Johnson, 1982) and also returned five kickoffs for 105 yards (a 21.0-yard average) and two punts for 19 yards.
Edwards memorably broke out in his first career game at TCU (who ironically recruited but did not offer him), catching five passes for 135 yards and three touchdowns to go with 24 rushing yards and a score on six carries en route to Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors.
He also set the Colorado single-game record for most receiving yards and touchdowns by a running back, while he tied the school’s overall receiving touchdown record.
Edwards had the Buffaloes’ first touchdown on the year, making him the first true freshman to have the first points of the season since 2002 (Jeremy Bloom).
He was the first player in seven seasons to score four touchdowns from scrimmage in his FBS debut and was just the fourth true freshman to accomplish the feat in the past 27 years.
Edwards also posted a season-high 57 rushing yards against Colorado State a week after totaling 55 yards against Nebraska — a game that included a season-long rush of 34 yards — and he had a 30-yard touchdown reception in the season finale at Utah.
Last season, he played in 12 games (he missed the Cincinnati game with an injury) with six starts, rushing for 546 yards and five touchdowns on 74 carries in addition to totaling 133 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 19 catches as he earned votes for the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year award from the league’s coaches.
Edwards’ 7.4-yard rushing average ranked first among Power 4 running backs (with a minimum of 70 carries), while he teamed with DJ Giddens (6.6-yard average) and Avery Johnson (5.4-yard average) to make K-State the only Power 4 team in the country with three players averaging at least 5.4 yards per rush (minimum 70 carries).
He rushed for a career-high 196 yards — including a career-long rush of 65 yards — and two touchdowns while he hauled in two passes for 27 yards and another score in the Rate Bowl against Rutgers as he was named the game’s Offensive Most Valuable Player and earned a spot on the Associated Press All-Bowl Team.
Edwards’ 196 rushing yards — which were highlighted by a 65-yard touchdown run to begin a 17-point comeback effort — were the third most in school history by a sophomore and the most ever by a Wildcat in a bowl game.
His 223 all-purpose yards also ranked second in K-State bowl history, while his total points tied for second and rushing touchdowns tied for sixth. It was the second-most rushing yards and yards from scrimmage in a bowl game during the 2024 season.
Edwards’ effort in the bowl wildly topped his previous career high of 60 rushing yards against Kansas, which included a long of 44 yards. He also passed the 50-yard rushing mark at Tulane with 54 yards and a touchdown on just four carries. (Don’t get me started on Conor Riley’s inexplicable unwillingness to use his talents more…)
Edwards added rushing touchdowns in the season opener against UT Martin and at Colorado, while he also had a receiving touchdown in the season opener.
He served as one of the Wildcats’ primary return men during the season — a role he seems set to continue in this season — totaling 140 punt return yards with a touchdown on 10 attempts and 298 kickoff return yards on 15 attempts to pick up All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades from the league’s coaches as a returner.
Edwards finished 35th nationally in combined kick return yards (438), while he was fifth in the Big 12 Conference in total punt return yards and eighth in kickoff return yards. His highlight came when he returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown against Arizona en route to Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
It was the first punt return touchdown by a K-State running back since Darren Sproles had one in 2003 and the longest by a K-State running back since David Allen’s 74-yarder in 1999.
Edwards also became the first Wildcat with at least one rushing, receiving and return touchdown in the first three games of a season since Deon Murphy in 2007. In all, he saw time on 232 offensive snaps and 74 special teams plays during the season.
Edwards was named to the watch list for the 2024 Paul Hornung Award and was an Academic All-District selection by College Sports Communicators. He is a preseason watch list candidate for the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, Paul Hornung Award and Jet Award, as well as being named today to the Senior Bowl Top 300.
A four-year letter-winner under head coach Brandon Clark — a former K-State wide receiver — at Derby High School, Edwards was regarded as one of the nation’s top 100 prospects for the Class of 2023 by Rivals, while the organization rated him the third-best running back in the class and top overall prospect in the state of Kansas.
He also was rated a top-150 prospect, the seventh-best running back and the second-best overall player in Kansas by ESPN, while he was viewed as a top-225 prospect, the seventh-best running back and the second-best prospect in Kansas by 247Sports.
A two-time Top-11 honoree by The Wichita Eagle and Sports in Kansas, Edwards was named the Sports in Kansas Class 6A Offensive Player of the Year as both a junior and senior.
He helped the Panthers to attain a 42-7 record over his career, which included state championships as a freshman and sophomore, and a runner-up finish as a junior. (Standing in their way those last two seasons? None other than your local Manhattan High School!)
Edwards rushed for 6,426 yards and 95 touchdowns on 622 carries during his four seasons, which included 32 games with at least 100 rushing yards in his 36 total games played.
He also had 40 receptions for 556 yards and seven touchdowns, 15 kickoff returns for 521 yards and three touchdowns, and 16 punt returns for 441 yards and three touchdowns.
Edwards was named the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior after he led Derby to an 11-1 record, rushing 208 times for 2,603 yards and 38 touchdowns.
He had at least 100 rushing yards in every game as a junior, including six 200-yard games and one 300-yard output, and also played baseball in high school. As a senior, he was named to the Eagle’s All-Metro team.
Edwards’ father, Leon, was a running back for Bill Snyder, lettering in the 1992 through 1994 seasons at K-State, which made that late recruiting flip to Notre Dame all the more painful.
(Of course, the Fighting Irish themselves were jilted at the altar for Coach Prime, and it all worked out OK in the end, so I’m willing to let bygones be bygones at this point.)
Edwards originally chose K-State (who offered December 2, 2020, before anyone else) over offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Bethune-Cookman, Buffalo, Grambling State, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Jackson State, Kansas, Kentucky, UMass, Memphis, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico State, North Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Purdue, Robert Morris, South Alabama, Tennessee Tech, Texas A&M, Washington, West Virginia, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin.
His primary recruiter was his new position coach, running backs coach Brian Anderson. And what does Coach Anderson think Edwards’ best weapon is on the football field?
It’s his overall speed. Deuce (Vaughn) could run, run. But this guy can run, run, run.
It’s pretty special to see (Edwards) on the field when he gets into the open field, how he pulls away from people and gains ground on people. It’s a sight to see. Once we get him to the point where he’s very comfortable at doing the things we want him to do, the sky’s the limit for the kid.
Offensive coordinator Matt Wells has practically salivated at the prospects for using the fifth-fastest player in college football:
It’s not really hard. He fits in everywhere. It’s been fun. He’s not really hard to game plan for. It’s moving him around, and he can do a lot of stuff with the ball in his hands whether it’s return game in special teams, he’s a very natural receiver with great hands and he’s a high football IQ guy, too.
We do a lot of stuff with him, and he’s picked it up really well in a short amount of time getting here this summer. He’ll be a fun one to coach and to game plan for.
One year later, Wells’ expectations haven’t changed, as he noted last week:
Lot of yards rushing, some dynamic catches, hopefully a punt or two for a score so we don’t even have to play on offense. That’d be cool. He’s electric. We all know it. Every time the ball touches his hands, you have a chance to hold up one finger and say, “Kick it.” He can hit that home run. I envision him in space, between the tackles, and he’s going to play receiver and running back. He’s a talented kid.
He’s — like all our young men — going into his third year in college, a little bit more mature, a little bit more seasoned, a little bit more aware of the grind of practice schedule in training camp with the season coming up. I see a guy that’s really dynamic, runs the ball better than you think in between the tackles. He has proven to be durable so far, and I hope that continues, but he’s dynamic with the ball in his hands.
I’ll let assistant head coach Van Malone finish off this preview with one last set of accolades:
Then, Dylan Edwards… that’s it. The guy can fly, and he’s done it over and over again. So, I’m excited about how our offense is going to be able to use him.
Nope, I lied. Gotta hear from some of his teammates first. Here’s left guard Taylor Poitier:
Seeing how fast he is and how quick, his lateral quickness is insane, just seeing that on film and then on the field, I’m like, “Give him the ball, shoot, he’s going to go for six right there.” It’s really cool having him. He’s just a really good dude. He brings a lot of energy to the team and is a really high-spirited guy. Just seeing him move out there, he’s so quick. I’m really excited he’s here.
And now, to truly finish it off, a few words from the guy who began this journey with his friend so long ago in the Wichita-area youth football leagues, Avery Johnson:
He’s just explosive with the ball in his hands. We’re trying our best to get him the ball in space and let him do his thing, whether that’s out of the backfield or any type of motion, or even splitting him out and letting him play receiver. Just using him in any way we can so we can keep defenses on their toes.
Oh, this is going to be fun. As Edwards, who has already been named to two consecutive Paul Hornung Award watch lists, says of reuniting in the same backfield with Johnson:
It’s great playing next to him again. It’s a lot of speed in the backfield. Just very electrifying.
Yep, that’s the precise word: electrifying. Saturday cannot get here fast enough, people. The Trio is ready to roll.
P.S. Watch Edwards’ introductory press conference here, as well as this great video from Wildcat NIL where he discusses in much more detail his decision to transfer back home. And this Verbal Commitment interview, too!
