West Virginia has won a key recruiting battle in securing a commitment from Richmond (Va.) Trinity Episcopal 2025 defensive back Terrance “Deuce” Edwards.
Edwards, 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, had narrowed his list down to West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Michigan State prior to casting his lot with the Mountaineers.
He also held offers from Clemson, Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee, Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh, Louisville, Mississippi, Colorado and Maryland, among others.
The Rivals.com three-star prospect took official visits to both West Virginia and Virginia Tech on back-to-back weekends which led to him adjusting his commitment date and cancelling his originally planned trip to Michigan State.
The Mountaineers had been involved in the recruitment of Edwards for quite some time, initially offering in May of 2022 and building a connection over that time. Secondary coach ShaDon Brown served as the lead recruiter for West Virginia and developed a close bond.
Edwards took multiple visits to West Virginia for both junior day events and spring practices prior to coming to campus for an official visit May 31-June 2.
Edwards could end up at safety or cornerback for the Mountaineers and has a versatile skill set that had him high on the list for a number of schools prior to making his college pick. He is coming off a junior season where he recorded 33 tackles, 14 pass breakups, 3 interceptions and a forced fumble.
Edwards is the third commitment for West Virginia in the defensive backfield behind Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork 2025 cornerback Elgin Sessions and Huntington (W.Va.) 2025 safety Zah Jackson and the 13th overall in the class.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Edwards and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Edwards has great size in the secondary and plays with a physical element now afraid to drop the shoulder down and hit. He has the speed and athleticism to cover a lot of ground and also displays the ability to track the football and make plays on it when it’s in the air.
His size allows him to get off blocks and he plays with an aggressive streak when he hits.
Also, an offensive player at the high school level, Edwards knows what to do with it if he gets his hands on it and can become a weapon in that area. Overall, the Mountaineers have a well-rounded defensive back that can fill a lot of different roles as he develops.
Fitting the program:
Edwards is a prospect that West Virginia developed a strong connection with over a long period of time and those relationships were critical in his ultimate decision. The versatile defensive back is in the mold of what the Mountaineers are targeting in the secondary with the ability to bounce around and fill various spots in the back end of the defense.
West Virginia has invested in finding versatility in the secondary and Edwards certainly brings that. He likely begins his career at cornerback but very well could end up at safety down the line. The Mountaineers will have six scholarship cornerbacks not counting additions in this class on the roster following the end of the season and that could help to provide a chance for Edwards to see the field.
The football program also scored a key win in recruiting by beating out Virginia Tech for a prospect that they hosted on an official visit and wanted in their class from the Tidewater State. It’s not often that has occurred in recent classes and is a testament to the coaching staff. Virginia remains a key recruiting area that the program is attempting to tap into and this will certainly make some waves.
Edwards has been to West Virginia multiple times and there is a comfort level established so there should be little, if any, adjustment when it comes to joining the program as an athlete.
Recruiting the position:
Expect West Virginia to add anywhere from two to three more defensive backs in this class spread out between the various positions with some of those targets being Columbus (Oh.) Marion Franklin 2025 cornerback Dawayne Galloway, Anderson (S.C.) T.L. Hanna cornerback Cam Strong, Cincinnati (Oh.) Winton Woods 2025 athlete Seaonta Stewart, Chattanooga (Tn.) McCallie School 2025 safety Carson Lawrence, Tampa (Fla.) Gaither 2025 cornerback Serious Stinyard, Berlin (Md.) Stephen Decatur 2025 safety Davin Chandler, North Potomac (Md.) Quince Orchard 2025 defensive back Aydan West and Auburndale (Fla.) 2025 cornerback Sammy Etienne. Each of those have already visited West Virginia and has the Mountaineers in their top options.
So, there are certainly options there and the Mountaineers are in a good spot as the calendar flips to the heart of summer recruiting season in the defensive backfield.
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