Nick Saban, Alabama found their 'perfect fit' in four-star RB Kyle Edwards
A skinny, speedy, 170-pound freshman showed up at Destrehan four years ago. He was expected to push John Emery for carries in the backfield -- the same Emery that had landed early scholarship overtures from Georgia and LSU after a breakout freshman campaign.
That freshman was Kyle Edwards, who eventually did cut into Emery's workload at Destrehan and became the Robin to Emery's Batman. When Emery was sidelined with an injury in 2017, it was Edwards who stepped in and toted the rock and churned out multiple 100-yard performances -- enough to earn permanent playing time in the backfield and out wide at receiver as a junior last fall.
Edwards enters his senior campaign at 6-foot and 210 pounds with a 4.55 40 time to complement his bruising, downhill running style. On Friday, he committed to Alabama over Michigan in what was a rather simple call. While he's now a four-star back and a top-20 prospect in Louisiana as the fall creeps up, Edwards intends on bringing his same freshman-minded approach to Tuscaloosa when he arrives next summer.
"I always think about that time," Edwards explained to Rivals. "Even though John was there, I was ready to compete. When I first came in there, I was a skinny kid and I had to keep competing, competing every single day until I would be taking the reps he'd normally get. I know at Alabama, I'm only gonna get better. When I got to Destrehan I wasn't the biggest kid, but I kept working, I kept competing, and when I go to Alabama, with the size I am now, it'll be twice as easy working my way up. I'm always ready to compete and get stronger and I won't stop training."
Last season, Edwards racked up more than 700 yards and eight touchdowns and averaged 6.3 yards per attempt. He was used as a receiver out of the backfield and split out wide and has drawn comparisons to former Crimson Tide standout Josh Jacobs, who was recently the first tailback off the board in this May's NFL Draft.
Like Edwards, Jacobs showed up to Alabama at about 190 pounds. The two backs shook hands during one of Edwards' first visits to Tuscaloosa and the parallels have grown from there.
"I just talked to Coach (Nick) Saban and he was talking about how I'd fit with their offense and how talented I am," Edwards revealed. "Coach (Pete) Golding and all the coaches talk about how I'm a downhill runner and that I don't need to do anything special; I can run you over you or run you out of the way. I know their playing style, how their backs run downhill and you see it when you watch them. They tell me I'm a perfect fit in their offense and how I'm gonna do great things when I get there."
"I'm gonna do the same thing as he did," Edwards said of Jacobs. "I'm gonna follow in his footsteps with the same playing style."
The Crimson Tide offered Edwards at the beginning of the spring after viewing his junior film and hosted him on campus only a few days later. He visited T-Town more than any other campus over the past eight months despite hard pushes from an array of schools, most notably Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas A&M.
The question was more so when, not if, Edwards was going to commit. He consistently sought the advice of longtime Destrehan coach Stephen Robicheaux, and in the process, realized he was ready to make his move.
"I had been talking with Coach Robe. I'd ask to talk about Alabama and I would ask about Michigan, but I mainly wanted to stay in the South and stay close and make it easy for my family because that's better," Edwards explained. "Destrehan's program takes a lot of stuff from 'Bama and put it in our own (program). We run the same stuff and have traits like leadership and I think I'd fit right in. The connection with our coaches, how much they cared about me and talked to me ... the work ethic they have there, I love everything about it. It was the first feeling I got when I first got there on my first visit, that special feeling inside that told me this was the school I wanted to go to."
Often, Edwards and Robicheaux discussed the timing of his commitment. Edwards had always envisioned pulling the trigger prior to his senior season, which kicks off Aug. 30, but wanted to be fully confidence before he made it official.
Seeing what Emery, his former teammate, have to endure by decommitting from Georgia and then quietly pledging to LSU, caused nerves. As did watching his teammate Noah Taliancich flip from Louisiana-Lafayette to Tulane earlier this spring.
Wrestling with the decision took its toll on Edwards, when it came down to the wire he could only list off positives about his fit with the Tide.
"What's not good about Alabama?" he joked. "We'd talk on and on and list all the good things about what Alabama has to offer. I'm a hard worker and I've always been a leader and I push myself very hard. I know at Alabama, they do the same thing with the same mindset as me. I'll be able to be around multiple leaders, working together with leaders and being great as a whole team. It'll be great. Playing around dudes with the same mentality, doing great things and being great on and off the field is what I was looking for."