Edwards encouraged, could start

TALLAHASSEE —FSU DE Mario Edwards Jr. was a little upset earlier this season, his teammates recalled.

The true freshman from Denton, Texas, who was the No. 1 recruit in the country during the 2012 signing class, had just learned there was a strong chance that he would be redshirting. HecametoFSUwith hopes of cracking the first-string rotation, but depth ahead of him wouldn’t allow that to happen.

What they couldn’t foresee was the onslaught of injuries that completely ransacked the team’s depth at defensive end. One week after Edwards learned he might redshirt, preseason All-ACC standout Brandon Jenkins suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener.

The redshirt was burned and a happier, better playing Edwards began to appear.

“He just picked it up in the middle of the season,” junior DEBjoern Werner said.

Edwards dropped more than a dozen pounds, got trimmer, faster and more physical.

“It started motivating him,” fellow DE Giorgio Newberry said. “He started getting on it. He started grinding and just learning.”

Eleven games after Jenkins’ injury, Cornellius Carradine, the No. 2 player at the right end position, was run from the rotation with his own injury. Edwards could get his chance to start for the first time Saturday when the Seminoles face Georgia Tech in the ACC championship. Next game: vs. Georgia Tech, 8 p.m., Saturday, ABC Game-day hashtag: #osfsu