Conway’s Edwards receives U.S. Army All-American Bowl jersey

Bryan Edwards took a physical and emotional hit when torn cartilage in his right knee cut short his senior season and Conway football career.

It didn’t strip him of one of his biggest honors.

On Friday, Edwards was presented his jersey for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl prior the Tigers’ first-round playoff game against Westwood. Although he will be unable to play in the game while he continues his rehabilitation following surgery, the organization kept its pledge by recognizing everything he accomplished.

“It’s not something that everybody would do for me. Stuff like that costs a lot of money,” Edwards said about an hour before the ceremony. “I’m just really blessed that they would let me experience it.

“It definitely helps to have people looking out for you. My community and my school has been looking out for me this whole season. When I got hurt, that just intensified. This just adds the icing to that.”

Edwards was one of 90 players nationwide selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, to be played Saturday, Jan. 9 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The offer came during a whirlwind October that included also being named one of the five finalists for South Carolina Mr. Football and a place in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.

He seemed like a lock for all three after the type of career he had.

In 41 games, Edwards caught 188 passes for 2,562 yards and 32 touchdowns. All of that started in the August of 2012, when he was just a freshman.

“You’re talking about a kid who was first offered as a 13-year-old in the ninth grade and who has put up tremendous numbers each year, but also had a tremendous career academically, just in so many ways,” Conway coach Chuck Jordan said. “… I think he’s very humble, and I think people appreciate that.”

Edwards is still going to be flown to San Antonio for some of the All-American Bowl festivities. And, again, although he won’t be playing in the game, there’s little reason to believe his presence won’t be noticed by at least one college fan base.

On Thursday, Edwards re-opened his recruitment after having originally verbally committed to the University of South Carolina in March. The Gamecocks are without a full-time head coach after Steve Spurrier resigned, and it is not immediately clear when that will change.

Clemson pounced on the opportunity. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, one of three Power Five coaches to offer Edwards a scholarship before he turned 14, will have the receiver on campus for an official visit during Clemson’s game against Wake Forest on Saturday.

Although his verbal commitment to the Gamecocks came during an on-campus visit, he said he has no intention of doing so again this week. He wants to take his time to re-evaluate his options, and he intends to take other official visits.

He hasn’t played a down of football in nearly a month. But much like Friday’s ceremony and the all-eyes-on-him presentation, he’s not immune to the fact that he’s drawing plenty of attention.

“It seems like everything I say is under a microscope nowadays, and I’m not even playing the game,” Edwards said. “That’s the thing. They’re out here playing the game and I’m just out here rooting them on. The fact that I could say one thing and the whole focus goes from Conway football to me is just crazy.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Conway’s Edwards receives U.S. Army All-American Bowl jersey."