OL Recruit Edwards Decommits and is going to Cal.

by Trisani888 on Jul 29, 2008 11:07 AM PDT

Didn't see this posted anywhere, so I thought I'd share the bad news. Dohn is reporting on his blog that Donovan Edwards (the JUCO OL that committed awhile back) has decommitted and has immediately committed to play for Tedford's Golden Bears. Other sources are saying that Edwards was not able to pass the strict UCLA admissions standards, which is the reason for his decommitment.

This is a huge blow to our OL depth, but I'm confident that Neuheisel, Chow, and Palcic can work with the players that we have and maximize their potential.

Sorry to be the bringer of bad news... but, GO BRUINS!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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they are saying...

that he didn’t get the grades in summer session to satisfy UCLA’s standards. But of course CAL has separate requirements and was able to admit him…

by eoj703 on Jul 29, 2008 12:17 PM PDT 0 recs

I say good

If he can’t get his summer grades, when he’s probably doing nothing but taking a class, up to par, then he shouldn’t be here.

by scottbruin on Jul 29, 2008 1:46 PM PDT 0 recs

Strange

I thought the admissions requirements would be similar for Cal and you guys. Kind of a lose-lose situation. As a JUCO player its important for hi career that he gets his starts in, and obviously the issues with the bruin’s O-line are already well known. Oh well, I’m sure this season’s offensive line won’t be as HUGE of an issue as everyone think because for whatever reason Neuheisel tends to do pretty well his first couple years.

by Laughing Stock on Jul 29, 2008 5:26 PM PDT 0 recs

Too bad but...

I think it’s a good thing to have him make that move now rather than be disqualified later when he can’t hack it at UCLA. In repsponse to Laughing Stock, athletic admission standards are an ongoing bone of contention. Ask a Cal fan, they’ll say they’re tough on admissions, ask an SC fan and I think most will admit to taking admits with less-than-stellar grades, ask a UCLA fan and we’ll say we set the bar higher than most. I don’t know how true it is or not, but I have recently heard that in this case it was an academic issue that changed Edward’s commitment. I personally welcome his “departure”. I hope he does well at Cal, but lets face it… He had to go to a JUCO, then had to take summer school to get the grades to get into UCLA, and is now going to Cal. You do the math…

by impaulv on Jul 30, 2008 9:36 AM PDT 0 recs

It might be true

I think over here at SC we do have lower academic standards for athletes, but it doesn’t really bother me that much. Anyways, in my freshman year writing class I had Brian Cushing and in an anthro class I had Chauncey Washington in my class, and I can tell you that they weren’t the brightest bulbs in the box. They sure could play football though!

by Laughing Stock on Jul 30, 2008 12:44 PM PDT up 0 recs

There are flexible standards for athletes everywhere, with the possible exception of the military service academies and Ivy League… I think as long as athletes can hack it (without cheating) at their school, let them play.

by impaulv on Jul 31, 2008 1:11 PM PDT up 0 recs

i've seen

a lot of articles and comments that say edwards had the grades to come directly to either school out of high school, but chose a juco in order to fill out (because he was apparently too small). Dunno how reliable it is.

by freakmont on Jul 31, 2008 10:17 AM PDT up 0 recs

Recently heard something like that too. We might never know, but for now I wish him the best of luck. Cal’s a great school with a great program.

by impaulv on Jul 31, 2008 12:59 PM PDT up 0 recs

Lot of articles?

Can you provide links to articles (not comments and not from Bear Insider) which supports the claim that his grades were good enough for UCLA?

by bluestreet on Jul 31, 2008 2:46 PM PDT up 0 recs

I don't see how anyone can get that info, Blue

How can anyone but the student get his or her grades? Is there someone in his high school who just tosses that info out willy nilly? (You remember Willy Nilly – journeyman outfielder for the mid-50’s Baltimore Orioles.) Anyway, I think the only way the actual grades get disclosed is if Edwards chooses to do so. If I were him, I wouldn’t say anything about the whole situation.

And before we poor-mouth this kid, remember that we just picked up a pretty decent basketball player who had committed to LSU. No one was calling him anything but smart for opting to come our way.

I don’t begrudge any HS athlete who changes his mind, and when all is said and done it’s not going to make much difference anyway, in my opinion. The last time I remember a high school kid who immediately made an impact was when the DB reported that a kid named Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr., had elected to come to UCLA. And we were back to back NCAA champs when that announcement was made.

Anyway, I think we should move on to bigger and better (or at least different) things.

by Fox 71 on Jul 31, 2008 4:38 PM PDT up 0 recs

Could just be his excuse, but...

seems like grades weren’t an issue, imo.

"UCLA was the best fit without Cal in the picture," Edwards told our prep staffer, Ben Enos, today. "The visit changed my perception about Cal and I wanted to become a Bear after that."

by freakmont on Jul 31, 2008 5:00 PM PDT 0 recs

As much as I would like to believe you...

What you are saying brings-up some perplexing questions:

1. Why would a recruit, who qualified for both schools, choose to go to a JC? I went to a JC before I transferred to UCLA. Saved loads of money and the degree says the same thing it does for people who went to UCLA for 4 years. Any kid I talk to about taking a similar path does not want to do it because they think that a JC is a step down. Basically there is a prestige factor. These kids end up applying to UCLA out of high school, don’t make it, and then have to go someplace else and pay loads of money. Now, it’s hard for me to picture this kid making a different decision than most kids. If he had the grades to go, one would think he would go. The question depends on the positives of attending a JC for a few years for football and then transferring. What are those positives?

2. Why did he have to take summer school classes? If he could make the grades, why this course of action?

3. What is the evidence of the spot at Cal opening up and when did it open? Who left and when? Who would he replace. Would he be a starter?

I suppose I could answer these questions myself but I haven’t seen anything on the subject. Pure speculation at this point. I’m with Nestor in thinking this story, about Edwards per se, has been overblown but the contention that Cal’s academic standards for football are less than ours is more intriguing to me. To be honest, for as much as they talk about being our academic superiors, this would be quite an amusing turn of events.

Like most of you here, I wish the kid the best of luck. Either way he did what he thought was best for him.

by Bruins102NCAA on Jul 31, 2008 5:57 PM PDT up 0 recs

Bottom line for me

I don’t want a kid here that doesn’t want to be here. Good luck at Cal, Donovan.

by Tydides on Jul 31, 2008 6:53 PM PDT up 0 recs

I can't say I know any of the specifics

But I’ll take a general stab at 1 and 2:

1. A player could have the grades to make a UCLA or Cal out of high school, but not the skill or talent level. This seems especially important on the O-line where skill and talent aren’t very useful without a certain amount of bulk. For other positions, a better coach may work at a JC. Family situations could dictate where a player goes to school as well. Going to the JC can mean more for their football career, getting them to a better program and school in the end.

2. My guess is that many athletes (especially football) take a track that includes summer school, not because they fail classes, but because of the time limitations, having to fit classes with practice and working out, especially during the season. Spreading the classes out over the entire year can mean more time for other, sport-related activities that happen during the school year.

by jaffa on Aug 1, 2008 12:49 AM PDT up 0 recs

posted this on

another fanpost

but found this on scout.com

"Biography: Qualified out of high school. May need to stay another season to develop, but could leave following 2007 season."

"qualified" could mean anything, but since they mentioned that he needed another season to develop, i’m guessing they are referring to academics. if he needed another season to develop, then technically he wouldn’t qualify physically. Can’t remember where, but I also read something about him gaining 30 or so pounds.

Also, this from Dohn:
"From what I’m hearing from a source, Donovan Edwards did not provide UCLA with his summer class grades to be presented to the admission’s committee before changing his commitment to Cal."

1. like jaffa said, it was probably a lack of size, skill and experience.
not sure on 2 or 3

by freakmont on Aug 1, 2008 11:53 AM PDT up 0 recs