Early interest for 2009 linebacker

Linebacker Lyndel Edwards may only be a rising junior, but the versatile prospect from Windsor, Conn. has already established himself as one of the top high school football players in his home state. Things are still subject to change at this early stage, but he's already listing five schools to keep an eye on.

At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Edwards has the potential to play running back or linebacker at the college level, but he is not being complacent. He plans on implementing a rigorous work routine over the next year to further develop his body and convince college coaches that he's worth a scholarship.

"We got out of school a little bit later than a lot of people around the country, so I couldn't go to as many camps as I probably would have liked to," Edwards explained. "I did get a chance to go to a camp at UConn around the end of June, but I wish I could have done more. They had some good drills and broke us up for work by position. I think I did well at everything.

"Right now my aggression and quickness are the biggest parts of my game," he continued. "I get a real good pass rush and I can read what's going on the field pretty good. This next year I plan on working hard to improve my speed and my hands."

While schools cannot extend written offers to rising juniors just yet, Edwards has already attracted the attention of some of the top programs in the nation.

"I've got stuff in the mail from Oklahoma, Syracuse, Florida, UConn, Colorado State, Duke, Iowa, Ohio State and some others," Edwards said. "I'd say UConn, Syracuse, Colorado State and Florida have probably showed the most interest so far."

While he said he is open to hearing from any school that is interested in him, Edwards already has a list of five schools he plans on keeping an eye on.

"Virginia Tech, LSU, Oklahoma, Michigan State and probably Ohio State. If I had to pick about five schools at this point that's who it would be. I want to play for a good program, but I really want to find a place that has a good business program. I want to do something with technology, so I'll be looking for that."

Edwards was not sure of his exact stats but estimated that he recorded about 60 tackles as a sophomore for Windsor last fall.