Iowa beats Purdue for 2nd time this week...

viking611 · Oct 10, 2005

also Georgia Tech, Boston College, Nebraska, Louisville and Indiana...one of nation's top linebackers to commit to play for hawkeyes!!!

Indiana prep to commit to Iowa
It appears as if the Iowa football program has beaten Purdue for the second time in a week.
Two days after the Hawkeyes beat the Boilermakers on the football field, they apparently have also won a recruiting battle against Purdue.

A.J. Edds is scheduled to announce his college plans at a press conference this afternoon. Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said the 6-foot-4, 220-pound prospect from Greenwood, Ind., has selected the Hawkeyes over the Boilermakers.

"He's a great athlete," Lemming said. "He's the kind of guy that Iowa, who has a great coaching staff, can really get and turn around and make into a fantastic player."

Edds said last month that the Hawkeyes are recruiting him to play tight end. He also plays linebacker and is ranked as the No. 18 inside linebacker in the country by rivals.com.

"What you see on film is sort of a tall, rangy, instinctive linebacker," Lemming said. "He makes plays, and that's what I really like. He's a guy who's always around the ball, not just every now and then."

Edds also considered scholarship offers from Georgia Tech, Boston College, Nebraska, Louisville and Indiana, among others.

Lemming said he thinks it will "haunt" Notre Dame in the future for not pursuing Edds more heavily.

"He wanted to go to Notre Dame, but they didn't really zoom in on him even though they took his cousin and best friend, Luke Schmidt," Lemming said. "Notre Dame came back on (Edds) later, but it was too late, obviously. He wanted to go to a school that really wanted him, which is smart."

viking611 · Jan 4, 2010

nice 4 year bump...

'Governor' on the line

Andy Hamilton • Iowa City Press-Citizen • January 4, 2010

MIAMI -- By all indications, A.J. Edds has the requisite characteristics on the field to handle the quietest position for Iowa's defense.

At 6-feet-4 and 244 pounds, he's big and strong enough to take on blocks at the line of scrimmage, agile and fast enough to cover receivers in space and unselfish enough to embrace the numbers that come -- or rather don't come -- with playing outside linebacker in Iowa's scheme.
"He's played very well in his role on the field for three years and then beyond that is the leadership he's brought," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Sunday after the Hawkeyes wrapped up practice for Tuesday's showdown against Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. "He's given us a lot on the field through his play, but I think every bit as important is what he brings as a leader, too. He's so steady, so dependable and does it in a quiet fashion. Part of that is the position he plays, but part of it's his personality, too. He's not an attention-seeking guy, but he just goes out and does his job."
That's the on-field part. That's when Edds, a senior from Greenwood, Ind., is playing his quiet role in Iowa's defense.
Statistically, this has been the best year of Edds' career in terms of production. He's second on the team with four interceptions and fourth with 73 tackles, yet still 62 behind team leader Pat Angerer.
"The guy's a heck of a football player," Ferentz said.
Off the field? Well, that's where Edds is more likely to be heard. His teammates call him "The Governor," defensive coordinator Norm Parker referred to him as "The Senator" and Edds has talked at length about possibly pursuing a career as an athletics director someday.
Ferentz laughs when he tells the story about a summer I-Club function when Edds got hold of the microphone and started handling emcee Gary Dolphin's duties.
"Edds is super intelligent," Parker said. "If you ask him a question, it's about a 10-minute answer, so be careful when you ask him a question."
Edds offered a loquacious speech when asked about why the outside linebacker rarely produces big numbers in Iowa's scheme.
"Our defense is kind of built for our inside guys and our safeties to make the plays," Edds said. "The outside linebacker, in theory, is kind of an edge defender, kind of the outside guy to force it back in, which seems pretty mundane. But if you can do it the right way, you can still find a way to make some plays out there, I guess.
"I would compare it almost to a D-lineman or an interior tackle. If you just do your job, people aren't really going to notice it. Then whenever you do your job and make plays, people notice it. But when you mess up, people also notice that pretty quickly as well. It's kind of like a long snapper as well. It's just part of the defense. That's the assignment and role I'm put into.
"I figured out early on that you can't try to make too many plays out there or else you're going to bust stuff pretty quick and there's going to be mistakes based on what I've done. I learned that, bought into the system pretty early on with coach Parker and coach (Darrell) Wilson and luckily it's worked out pretty well for me."