When Sincere Edwards decommitted from UCF the day before he was scheduled to take his official visit to Pitt, it was so he could be 100% sure he was locked into his collegiate decision.
Well, after an official visit to Pittsburgh over the final weekend of June, Edwards is now locked into Pitt.
Edwards — a 6-foot-3, 240-pound four-star defensive lineman from Wekiva High in Apopka, Florida — committed to Pitt during his exit interview Saturday and officially announced his decision today, choosing the Panthers over Maryland, Penn State, UCF and USF.
“Honestly they just showed me something that I’ve never seen before, and what I mean by that is, for one, we could talk about the state of Pitt, Pennsylvania, it’s just different,” Edwards told PSN. “It’s something I’ve never seen before, something me or my family has ever seen before, and I got a real connection with coach Partridge. So, Pitt — I love the defense that they run, and I really see myself fitting in that scheme.”
Edwards is a top target in the class, and he certainly hasn’t lacked offers, as Arkansas, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Colorado, Duke, FAU, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland, Michigan State, Mississippi State, North Carolina State, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Ole Miss, USF and Utah have all extended offers.
“I got to meet a guy that I look up to, which is Aaron Donald,” Edwards told PSN in April. “I got to meet him; that was very cool. I also got to meet Calijah Kancey, and that was very cool. So, in meeting these Pitt legends, it was real fun and a great experience.
“It was a real fun (practice), and it was a good experience. I really enjoyed how high-intensity practice was — the defense completely dominated the offense, and it was one of the best practices — if not the best — I’ve ever went to so far.”
Edwards’ relationship with Charlie Partridge has been a major factor in his Pitt interest, with the two bonding heavily during the unofficial visit. They were able to watch Pitt’s film but also some of Edwards’ film from Wekiva, too.
“He loves my versatility, how I can play both inside and three tech and edge, and that’s one thing he mentions,” Edwards said. “If I come here, I won’t be limited to just one position. I’ll be able to showcase my talent at end, tackle and wherever.”
The way that Partridge developed Kancey — the best Pitt defensive tackle since Donald — hasn’t been lost upon Edwards either. “If you look, me and Calijah pretty much have the same body type. I’m 6-1, 260, coming into college he was 6-foot, 250, so it’s about the same there.” The pair share very similar frames and very similar styles of play.
As a junior at Wekiva, Edwards was one of the most disruptive forces in Florida high school ball. He recorded 78 tackles (48 solo), 27 tackles for loss, 16 sacks and recovered two fumbles. His blend of speed and power in a 260-pound frame is apparent.
247Sports rates him as the 533rd-ranked recruit in the class (41st-ranked defensive lineman and 71st-ranked recruit from Florida) while On3 rates him as the 590th-ranked recruit in the class (54th-ranked defensive lineman and 81st-ranked recruit from Florida).
Rivals is even higher on Edwards, rating him as the 19th-ranked strongside defensive end and 49th-ranked recruit from Florida.
Edwards is yet another four-star recruit added to Pitt’s class of 2024, adding another strong piece to the class. He joins Jahsear Whittington as four-star defensive lineman in the class, along with three-stars in Francis Brewu, Ty Yuhas and Zachary Crothers.
Very nice … welcome aboard Mr. Edwards. Thanks for choosing to be a student-athlete at Pitt. H2P !
Edwards is a major score for the team and serves to help keep Pitt’s top-3 national ranking in sacks and towards the top in total defense. Great job coaches!