Rivals250 defender KingJoseph Edwards enjoys return visit to UT

Defensive end KingJoseph Edwards is pretty active on the recruiting front, having taken numerous college visits to a variety of different campuses during the early part of his recruitment. Last weekend, Edwards was in Austin for a Texas Longhorns junior day - the second time he’s made his way to the UT campus. For Edwards, it was good reconnecting with some of the coaches he had met previously.

“It was pretty good the second time seeing the coaches and seeing people that I saw the first time. And seeing the new facilities and how it was going to look,” Edwards said.

A Rivals250 member out of Hoschton (GA) Mill Creek, the Texas staff encouraged Edwards to return for more visits whenever he has an opportunity, and Edwards is already planning at least one more stop in Austin.

“They’re just telling me to come back more often, come to some games and stuff like that. So I'm going to for sure do that this season,” Edwards said.

While on the visit, Edwards connected with a good portion of the UT coaching staff, including head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. He and Kwiatkowski went over some game film to show Edwards how he could fit into UT’s defensive scheme.

“We just got done watching some film so it’s pretty good,” Edwards said of his relationship with Kwiatkowski. “We talk every day, stuff like that. We were watching (Texas) game film and my film.”

Along with Texas, Edwards lists schools like Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Southern Cal as programs with which he’s built a good relationship. As far as Saturday’s stop in Austin, he said it had a certain feeling of comfort knowing that he’d been there before.

“It was probably more nostalgic than most other college visits, coming back and seeing all the stuff like that, it brought me more joy. I like it,” Edwards said.

The 6-5, 242-pound Edwards said he’d like to hit up places like Florida and Miami, and he’s hoping to make a return visit to USC before school starts. Oregon could also get a visit a some point this summer. With close to 40 scholarship offers, Edwards will have no shortage of options as he works his way through the recruiting process. When it comes time to narrow his focus, relationships will be a big factor. Proximity will not.

“Probably just my relationship with coaches and how they see me on the field,” Edward said when asked what factors will be important in his decision.

Those relationships are strong with the Texas staff, and it’s a big reason the Longhorns are legitimate contenders for the standout defender.

“Just the coaching staff. I like the coaching staff a lot,” Edwards said. “I have a big connection with the coaching staff, coach Choice and all that. I like the coaching staff a lot.”

Edwards is ranked as a four-star prospect and checks in at No. 111 on the Rivals250.