Four-star RB commits to FSU

Florida State got their third verbal commitment and their first from a high school prospect. Four-star running back Jamaal Edwards, from Greensboro (NC) Dudley, committed to the Seminole coaches on Monday.

"He committed yesterday afternoon," Dudley head coach Victory Floyd told Warchant.com. "They were his childhood favorite. He's been a fan all his life and has been going to camp down there ever since he was just a kid."

The pickup will add some much needed depth at a position of need. With the transfers of Thomas Clayton and Eric Shelton the past two years FSU is in need of at least one, if not two, tailbacks for the upcoming recruiting class. When Edwards enrolls in the fall of 2004, Leon Washington will be a junior and Lorenzo Booker a sophomore.

According to CarolinaBlue.com (northcarolina.rivals.com) Edwards is the No. 2 player in the state just behind teammate DeMario Pressley, who also happens to be the top rated defensive tackle in the nation. The Rivals100 member is also rated as the as the No. 6 running back in the nation. His high ranking is justified considering he racked up 2,387 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns last season. The six-foot, 200-pound tailback also boasts a 4.3 forty-yard dash time.

"He's as good as I've been around as a coach," Floyd said. "He's very talented and has tremendous upside. He's one of those kids that if you put him at wideout he'd be top five in the country, if you put him at corner he'd be in the top five there, or at safety. He's just a very gifted athlete."

Edwards was recently in Tallahassee for an unofficial visit. That trip combined with his feeling for FSU probably clinched the deal.

"I felt really good over there at Florida State," Edwards told Warchant.com following his visit. "I talked to Lorenzo Booker, Leon Washington, A.J. (Nicholson) and Chris Rix, a lot of players... People don't get a chance to play for their favorite school that often. That's plus and I had a good time when I was down there in Tallahassee."

Edwards was a national junior champion in the 100-meter dash at age 13, and led his team to the 3-A state championship game last year. He picked FSU over North Carolina, Clemson, Miami, Tennessee and others.

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