MN Daily: Running back Edwards joins track team

Donate To GopherHole
BleedGopher

BleedGopher

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
60,716
Reaction score
15,968
Points
113
per the Daily:

Gophers running back Berkley Edwards is expected to be a sprinter on the men's track and field team this spring, the University confirmed. The redshirt freshman rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns last season in addition to three receptions for 24 yards.

It's unclear when Edwards will begin competing for the track and field team, but he has been at the past few practices and could run as soon as this Friday when Minnesota hosts the Jack Johnson Invitational.

http://www.mndaily.com/blogs/upon-further-review/2015/01/27/running-back-edwards-joins-track-team

Go Gophers!!
 

Would rather he work on his hands, but oh well. Good Luck. Hope he does well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I know coaches in that past have not liked guys going out for track because it interfered with spring ball and also because the strength and conditioning plans were often different. Obviously they feel like he can manage both so best of luck to him.
 

Has this ever been a good thing when a kid who was recruited in a different sport opts to be on the track team? Seems like its generally a stepping stone for the kid to leave their first scholarship behind. Here's to hoping Edwards improves in football and doesn't become a kid who never touches a football again.
 

tinyarch said:
Has this ever been a good thing when a kid who was recruited in a different sport opts to be on the track team? Seems like its generally a stepping stone for the kid to leave their first scholarship behind. Here's to hoping Edwards improves in football and doesn't become a kid who never touches a football again.
Click to expand...

Thought did cross my mind. DCT and Trey Davis are two examples that spring to mind of guys that have left the football team to concentrate on track full time. Interesting that Joe C has this nugget in his piece confirming the daily story:

Football remains Edwards' top athletic priority, as he will go through a full spring practice and participate in track when there are no conflicts with football. Former Gophers receiver Devin Crawford-Tufts is another example of a player who competed in both football and track.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/289993881.html

Joe neglects to mention that DCT quit football to focus on track full-time. Here's hoping that Edwards is not headed down the same route and is truly committed to sticking with football. Sadly it won't shock me if he has some success on the track and decides that is the better long term path for him because he clearly has elite speed but I am still not sold he has elite football ability based on what we have seen to this point from him. Hope I'm wrong on this one and he comes back to have a great year for the football team this fall.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Thought did cross my mind. DCT and Trey Davis are two examples that spring to mind of guys that have left the football team to concentrate on track full time. Interesting that Joe C has this nugget in his piece confirming the daily story:

Football remains Edwards' top athletic priority, as he will go through a full spring practice and participate in track when there are no conflicts with football. Former Gophers receiver Devin Crawford-Tufts is another example of a player who competed in both football and track.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/289993881.html

Joe neglects to mention that DCT quit football to focus on track full-time. Here's hoping that Edwards is not headed down the same route and is truly committed to sticking with football. Sadly it won't shock me if he has some success on the track and decides that is the better long term path for him because he clearly has elite speed but I am still not sold he has elite football ability based on what we have seen to this point from him. Hope I'm wrong on this one and he comes back to have a great year for the football team this fall.
Click to expand...

My sources at the U led me to believe DCT was allowed to use the "track focus" card instead of the public being made aware that he was being dismissed from football team for violation of team rules...

Trey Davis did simply end up quitting football to focus on track, which probably ended out better for him and the football team.
 

Over at GI there are guys who seem to know about track. They say for a sprinter, the commitment is only about 30 mins a day to practice coming out of the blocks and some relay stuff. Apparently it won't interfere with football at all.
 

Wally Ellenson.

I truly hope that Berk is using this to augment his skill on the gridiron. I trust that his track training will make him more dynamic on the football field. He's just getting started, IMO.
 

tinyarch said:
Has this ever been a good thing when a kid who was recruited in a different sport opts to be on the track team? Seems like its generally a stepping stone for the kid to leave their first scholarship behind. Here's to hoping Edwards improves in football and doesn't become a kid who never touches a football again.
Click to expand...

Seemed to have worked out fine for Lamichael James, Kenjon Barner, Deanthony Thomas and a ton of other Oregon skill position guys.
 



Spoofin said:
Would rather he work on his hands, but oh well. Good Luck. Hope he does well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Well maybe he'll compete in the high jump so he can be ready for more Mitch passes next year.
 

It won't last since the track is getting removed and the U has plans to cut all non-revenue sports next year.
 

I hope this outcome is different than DCT's. I would like for Edwards to stick around.
 

die hard gopher said:
Seemed to have worked out fine for Lamichael James, Kenjon Barner, Deanthony Thomas and a ton of other Oregon skill position guys.
Click to expand...

This. If the dude can play, he will play. The running is common place at many other schools
 



die hard gopher said:
Seemed to have worked out fine for Lamichael James, Kenjon Barner, Deanthony Thomas and a ton of other Oregon skill position guys.
Click to expand...

If you watched the U Part 2 30 for 30, the entire Miami football team basically did track. Granted, it was how they got out of scholarship restrictions, but they did successfully do both track and football.
 

tinyarch said:
Has this ever been a good thing when a kid who was recruited in a different sport opts to be on the track team? Seems like its generally a stepping stone for the kid to leave their first scholarship behind. Here's to hoping Edwards improves in football and doesn't become a kid who never touches a football again.
Click to expand...

OJ Simpson ran track at USC.
 

scher215 said:
If you watched the U Part 2 30 for 30, the entire Miami football team basically did track. Granted, it was how they got out of scholarship restrictions, but they did successfully do both track and football.
Click to expand...

College track is a different animal than HS track. It's much more a individual sport. It's likely edwards won't be running more than he already would have been, maybe an extra day to work on handoffs or blocks. He can show up to a local meet, run one race, get a qualifying time, leave, and not race til B1G championships.
For "track guys" running helps them with a sense of athletic normalcy which I would bet what this is about. This is part of Edwards keeping his world class speed, world class.
 

tinyarch said:
Has this ever been a good thing when a kid who was recruited in a different sport opts to be on the track team? Seems like its generally a stepping stone for the kid to leave their first scholarship behind. Here's to hoping Edwards improves in football and doesn't become a kid who never touches a football again.
Click to expand...

Hershel Walker.
 

Ole said:
College track is a different animal than HS track. It's much more a individual sport. It's likely edwards won't be running more than he already would have been, maybe an extra day to work on handoffs or blocks. He can show up to a local meet, run one race, get a qualifying time, leave, and not race til B1G championships.
For "track guys" running helps them with a sense of athletic normalcy which I would bet what this is about. This is part of Edwards keeping his world class speed, world class.
Click to expand...

All of this is true and the examples being given of guys having success managing track and football at other schools are also very valid. For whatever reason that track record has not held up here when guys have tried to do both. Hopefully Edwards will be the exception and will have no trouble taking part in track while keeping his overall focus on football.
 

die hard gopher said:
Seemed to have worked out fine for Lamichael James, Kenjon Barner, Deanthony Thomas and a ton of other Oregon skill position guys.
Click to expand...

Also, Purdue's RB from this season (#6, forget his name off the top of my head) was a top B1G Ten Sprinter.
 

DCT wasn't a good football player and allegedly had some off the field issues. The move to track was good for everyone. Trey Davis did the hammer throw and discus I believe and those require much more time than sprinting. Wally Ellenson was high jump which is also far more technical. It doesn't seem like there's anything to worry about here. Berk is a track guy and we should salute him for wanting to play both sports. My .02
 

at least he doesn't have to travel to the farms to do this, yet
 

MNVCGUY said:
All of this is true and the examples being given of guys having success managing track and football at other schools are also very valid. For whatever reason that track record has not held up here when guys have tried to do both. Hopefully Edwards will be the exception and will have no trouble taking part in track while keeping his overall focus on football.
Click to expand...

Mason had a few guys who did well with both.
The change occured with Brewster, and has gradually changed with Kill.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
DCT wasn't a good football player
Click to expand...

Careful CRG, I once said something like this and was attacked by maybe the strongest fan club that GH has ever brought together.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


scher215 said:
If you watched the U Part 2 30 for 30, the entire Miami football team basically did track. Granted, it was how they got out of scholarship restrictions, but they did successfully do both track and football.
Click to expand...

Can teams still free up scholarships this way? If so I'd encourage more players to run track and get scholarships form that.
 

btowngopher said:
Can teams still free up scholarships this way? If so I'd encourage more players to run track and get scholarships form that.
Click to expand...

Scholarships are now dictated by highest revenue sport you are participating in I believe
 

Good for him. If he could work on his hands and blocking in the offseason, and then add even more speed doing this, he could be a major contributor over the course of his Gopher career.
 



kellyleeks said:
Hershel Walker.
Click to expand...

I got to see Herschel run an indoor 60 at the Shell in Madison in 1982. I was standing near the finish line and watching that massive dude just haul ass was a very impressive sight. I can only imagine how intimidating he must have looked like in pads coming right at a DB.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom