CHICAGO – Illinois State freshman wide receiver Andrew Edgar has made an immediate impact for the Redbirds in his first season on the field, and for his efforts he was one of nine players added to the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award Watch List on Thursday.
The Rice Award, named after the legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver, has been presented in the postseason to the FCS freshman player of the year since 2011.
Edgar is the first Illinois State football player to be named to the list and is the second Redbird to be added to a STATS FCS national award watch list this season, joining running back James Robinson who was added to the Walter Payton Award Watch List in October.
After sitting out the 2017 season as a redshirt, Edgar has leaped onto the scene in 2018 and has put together one of the best freshman performances in recent history. The Chicago native leads all Missouri Valley Football Conference freshmen in yards (561), touchdowns (4) yards per catch (19.3) and yards per game (70.1) and ranks seventh overall in yards per game. He has twice recorded over 100 yards receiving in game this season, with a career-high 202 yards and two touchdowns coming against No. 7 South Dakota State.Â
The 202 receiving yards were the most for a Redbird receiver since 2015 and his 561 yards have set a new standard at ISU for freshmen pass catchers, topping the previous high mark of 529 yards set by Kevett Mickel in 2004 with Edgar still having at least three games remaining on the schedule.
Edgar and his teammates return to action this weekend on the road against Northern Iowa at 1 p.m. at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
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