Olympus High football star Scotty Edwards said it was one of the most difficult decisions he’s ever had to make — play college football for the school he grew up cheering for, BYU, or at one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country, Stanford.
Tuesday night, the versatile athlete who plays on both sides of the ball picked Stanford, announcing on Twitter that he is committed to play for the Cardinal.
Edwards, 6-foot-1, 185, had narrowed his choices to BYU and Stanford recently, and visited Stanford two weekends ago and Provo last weekend. His parents accompanied him on both visits.
The traditional signing period begins Wednesday, although some luster has been taken off the day because an early signing period was implemented in December three years ago and most schools signed the bulk of their recruits then.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake and safeties coach Preston Hadley made an in-home visit to the Edwards’ house in Salt Lake City early last week and outlined how they thought he could contribute to the program in a couple of years.
But Edwards is heading out of state and becomes the latest Utahn to choose Stanford over offers from in-state schools. Edwards plans to go on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before enrolling and says he will submit his paperwork for that mission soon.
“Definitely an education and getting a degree from there (is why he liked Stanford),” Edwards said last week. “And I like the fact that in the Pac-12 they are playing USC every year, Oregon every year, UCLA every year.”
At Olympus, Edwards played running back on offense, defensive back on defense and also returned kicks and punts. He said Stanford has talked to him about playing cornerback or safety when he returns from his mission in 2022.
Edwards’ uncle, Mike Sumko, played cornerback for BYU in 2001 and 2002.
At Olympus, Edwards ran for more than 400 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 13 passes for seven TDs his senior season. He made two sacks, had two interceptions, returned an interception for a TD and also returned a kickoff for a TD.
He carries a 3.9 grade-point average and got a 27 on the ACT college admission test. He also had offers from Utah State, Air Force and Army.
“There were a couple schools that were pretty close to offering, but they didn’t end up pulling the trigger,” he said.
But Stanford did. And Edwards is determined to make the Cardinal as happy with that choice as he is with his.
Tuesday morning, Arizona linebacker Tate Romney announced he will sign with BYU on Wednesday. The senior, who will also go on a mission before enrolling, is the brother of current Cougars Baylor and Gunner Romney.
Hagen to Yale
Also Tuesday, Corner Canyon quarterback Cole Hagen announced on Twitter that he will be signing with Yale on Wednesday. Hagen carries a 4.0 GPA, scored a 35 on the ACT and also had an offer from another Ivy League school, Harvard. He also had offers from Dixie State and Weber State.