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Armanti Fredrico Edwards Sr. (born March 8, 1988) is an American
gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...
wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the
Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
in the third round of the
2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the first ...
. He was the starting quarterback for the
Appalachian State Mountaineers football The Appalachian State Mountaineers football team is the intercollegiate American football team representing Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. The Mountaineers have competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Sun ...
team from 2006–09. As quarterback in 2007, Edwards led Appalachian State to one of the biggest upsets in college football history, a 34–32 victory over then fifth-ranked Michigan. In addition to leading the
Mountaineers Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, ...
to consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championships (FCS) in
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 FIFA ...
and
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
, Edwards became the first quarterback in Southern Conference history to lead his team to four straight conference
championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
. He became the first quarterback in NCAA Division I history to throw for 9,000 and rush for 4,000 yards in a career, accomplishing the feat against Furman on October 31, 2009. Later in the season, he would become the first quarterback to pass for over 10,000 yards and rush for an additional 4,000 yards in a career. He is also the first back-to-back and two-time
Walter Payton Award The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports ...
winner, given to the Football Championship Subdivision's most outstanding offensive player, receiving the award in 2008 and 2009.


Early life

Armanti is the son of Deborah Anderson and Freddie Edwards. At birth, Edwards weighed 4 pounds 11 ounces and was delivered 10 days late. In September 2006, his father, Freddie, was convicted of a 2005 murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison. The conviction however was overturned because jurors were not given the option of finding Edwards guilty of involuntary manslaughter. During a retrial that concluded in June 2011 he was again convicted of murder and again sentenced to 30 years.


High school career

At Greenwood High, under coach Shell Dula, he was named to the Greenwood Touchdown Club/Index-Journal All-Lakelands Team. Edwards originally played wide receiver, but in his senior year, he moved under center. The transition occurred late in the recruiting process, and he drew some interest from
New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...
, Memphis, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt. After only receiving an offer from
New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...
, he decided to honor his commitment to Appalachian State, in part because they would let him stay a quarterback. Armanti Edwards graduated with a 3.3
GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...
.


College career


2006 season

Armanti Edwards led the Mountaineers to the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) National Championship in
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 FIFA ...
as a true freshman, beating the Minutemen of
UMass The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medical ...
28–17. He finished the 2006 season with 2,251 yards and 15 touchdowns passing, and 1,153 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing. Edwards joined a select list as the fifth Division I player (Missouri's
Brad Smith Brad or Bradley Smith may refer to: Sportspeople * Bradley Smith (cricketer) (born 1969), English former cricketer * Brad Smith (footballer, born 1948), Australian rules footballer and premiership coach of East Fremantle * Brad Smith (ice hockey) ...
and Texas's
Vince Young Vincent Paul Young Jr. (born May 18, 1983) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. Young was drafted by the Tennessee Titans as the third overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, and ...
are among the others), and second freshman, to accomplish the feat of 2000 passing yards and 1000 rushing yards in one season. Edwards was named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year at the end of the season.


2007 season

Edwards started the
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
season by guiding Appalachian State to a 34–32 upset victory over fifth-ranked Michigan of the Football Bowl Subdivision on September 1, in a game that was named the "Biggest Upset of 2007" by '' Sports Illustrated''. In the game, Edwards threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns while also totaling 62 yards and a touchdown on the ground. On December 7, in a semifinal playoff game against
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...
, Edwards set the single game FCS rushing record for a quarterback, rushing for 313 yards and 4 touchdowns on 31 carries. He also completed 14-of-16 passes for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns. Edwards had been mentioned as a possible candidate for the
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
in the 2008 season. Edwards established himself as a threat through the air and along the ground, and garnered elite status within the division. He and the Mountaineers won a third consecutive national championship, beating the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens, 49–21, in the
championship game In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
on December 14. He outplayed future
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
quarterback
Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Balt ...
in that game.


2008 season

The Mountaineers began the
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
campaign against the
LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as ...
, the first time defending FBS and FCS champions have met to open the season. However, LSU prevailed 41-13, with Edwards accounting for 216 of Appalachian State's 472 total yards. Edwards accounted for 440 yards of total offense, becoming the Southern Conference's all-time leader in yards with a 70–24 victory over the
Wofford Terriers Wofford College sponsors 18 sports for men's and women's programs, competing as the Terriers. The Terriers compete in the Southern Conference, and have been a part of the league since the 1997–98 academic year. Wofford and the other SoCon memb ...
on October 31. On November 15, the Mountaineers clinched the Southern Conference championship, joining West Virginia (1953–56), Furman (1980–83) and Georgia Southern (1997–2002) as the only programs to win four straight titles, with a 24–16 victory over the
Elon Phoenix The Elon Phoenix is the official mascot of Elon University, located in Elon, North Carolina. It is the name that each of the sports teams at the university are referred to. The university is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and compe ...
. In his 36th career start, he became the 26th FCS player in history to surpass 10,000 yards of career total offense in Appalachian's win over
South Carolina State South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a memb ...
in the First Round of the 2008 playoffs. He was named the 2008 Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and was the winner of the 2008
Walter Payton Award The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports ...
, given to the top FCS offensive player. Edwards threw a career-worst 5 interceptions in a quarterfinal loss to eventual tournament winner, Richmond, denying Appalachian State their 4th consecutive FCS championship.


2009 season

Before the start of the season, Edwards was involved in a
lawn mowing A lawn mower (also known as a mower, grass cutter or lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the design of the mower, but g ...
accident, resulting in a trip to the hospital where he was treated and released. The injury sidelined him for the season opener against the
East Carolina Pirates The East Carolina Pirates are the athletic teams that represent East Carolina University (ECU), located in Greenville, North Carolina. All varsity-level sports teams participate at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division ...
, a game which the Mountaineers would lose 29–24. With a 27–10 victory over Elon on November 14, Edwards became the only quarterback in conference history to win four consecutive championships. Edwards's college football career ended on December 12 in a playoff semi-final game against the
Montana Grizzlies The Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz are the nicknames given to the athletic teams of the University of Montana, located in Missoula. The university is a member of the Big Sky Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding six men's teams ( ...
. The 24–17 loss was the highest rated FCS postseason game ever broadcast according to Nielsen and the NCAA. The following day, Edwards graduated after just three and a half years with a degree in
graphic arts A category of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional, i.e. produced on a flat surface.
. On December 17, in a landslide victory, Edwards received the
Walter Payton Award The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports ...
making him the first ever two-time recipient of the award.


Statistics


Highlights and awards


Championships

* NCAA Division I Football Championship – 2006, 2007 * Southern Conference Championship – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009


Awards

*
Walter Payton Award The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports ...
– 2008, 2009 * Southern Conference ''
Bob Waters Robert Lee Waters (June 22, 1938 – May 29, 1989) was an American football player, coach, and administrator, best known for his contributions to athletics at Western Carolina University. Waters coached the Western Carolina Catamounts football te ...
'' Male Athlete of the Year – 2010 * Southern Conference ''Roy M. "Legs" Hawley Offensive Player of the Year'' (media) – 2008*, 2009* * Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year (coaches) – 2008, 2009 * Southern Conference Freshman of the Year (coaches and media) – 2006 * All-Southern Conference Football Team: ** 1st Team (media) – 2006, 2008, 2009 ** 1st Team (coaches) – 2006, 2008, 2009 ** 2nd Team (coaches) – 2007 * 5x Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Month – 11/2006, 11/2007, 10/2008, 11/2008, 10/2009 * 8x Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week * 5x Southern Conference Freshman of the Week * - Unanimous selection


Records


=Single game

= *ASU and Southern – Rushing: 313 vs.
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...
, 2007 *ASU – Rushing Yards Per Attempts: 10.1 vs. Richmond, 2007 *ASU, Southern, and NCAA – Rushing Yards by a Quarterback: 313 vs. Richmond, 2007 *ASU – Passing Yards: 433 vs.
South Carolina State South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a memb ...
, 2008 *ASU – Completion Percentage (min. 10 comp.): .895 (17-19) vs. Wofford, 2008 *ASU – Touchdown Passes: 5 vs. Wofford, 2008 *ASU – Touchdowns Responsible For: 7 vs. Richmond, 2007


=Single season

= *ASU – Rushing Yards by a Quarterback: 1,588, 2007 *ASU – Rushing Yards by a Freshman: 1,153, 2006 *ASU – Rushing Yards by a Sophomore: 1,588, 2007 *ASU – Passing Yards: 3,291, 2009 *ASU - Pass Attempts: 378, 2009 *ASU – Pass Completions: 257, 2009 *ASU – Completion Percentage (min. 100 comp.): .680 (257-378), 2009 *ASU – Passing Efficiency: 170.2, 2008 *ASU – Touchdown Passes: 30, 2008 *ASU – 200-Yard Passing Games: 10, 2009 *ASU – Consecutive 200-Yard Passing Games: 5, 2009 *ASU – Passing Yards by a Freshman: 2,251, 2006 *ASU – Passing Yards by a Sophomore: 1,948, 2007 *ASU – Passing Yards by a Senior: 3,291, 2009 *ASU and Southern – Total Offense: 3,970, 2009 *ASU and Southern – Touchdowns Responsible For: 41, 2008 *ASU and Southern – 250-Yard Total Offense Games: 10, 2008 *ASU – Consecutive 250-Yard Total Offense Games: 5 (four times) *ASU and Southern – 300-Yard Total Offense Games: 8, 2009 *ASU – 400-Yard Total Offense Games: 4, 2009 *ASU – Wins By a Starting Quarterback: 13, 2006


=Postseason

= *ASU – Single-Game Rushing Yards: 313 vs. Richmond, 2007 *ASU – Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns: 4 vs. Richmond, 2007 *ASU – Single-Game Pass Attempts: 54 vs. Montana, 2009 *ASU – Career Pass Attempts: 342 *ASU – Single-Game Completions: 29 vs. South Carolina State, 2008 *ASU – Career Completions: 216 *ASU – Single-Game Passing Yards: 433 vs. South Carolina State, 2008 *ASU – Career Passing Yards: 2,885 *ASU – Single-Game Touchdown Passes: 4 vs. South Carolina State, 2008 *ASU – Career Touchdown Passes: 19 *ASU – Single-Game Total Offense Attempts: 69 vs. Montana, 2009 *ASU – Career Total Offense Attempts: 564 *ASU – Single-Game Total Offense Yards: 495 vs. Richmond, 2007 *ASU – Career Total Offense Yards: 4,186 *ASU – Single-Game Touchdowns Responsible For: 7 vs. Richmond, 2007 *ASU – Career Touchdowns Responsible For: 37 *ASU – Single-Game Touchdowns Scored: 4 vs. Richmond, 2007 *ASU – Single-Game Points Scored: 24 vs. Richmond, 2007 *ASU – Postseason Wins By a Starting Quarterback: 11


=Career

= *ASU and Southern – Rushing Yards by a Quarterback: 4,361 *ASU – Passing Yards: 10,392 *ASU – Pass Attempts: 1,180 *ASU – Pass Completions: 768 *ASU and Southern – Completion Percentage (min. 250 comp.): .651 *ASU – Passing Efficiency: 154.2 *ASU – Touchdown Passes: 74 *ASU – Passing Yards per Game: 203.8 *ASU – 200-Yard Passing Games: 24 *ASU and Southern – Total Offense Attempts: 1,935 *ASU and Southern – Total Offense: 14,753 *ASU – Total Offense Per Game: 289.3 *ASU and Southern – Touchdowns Responsible For: 139 *ASU and Southern – 250-Yard Total Offense Games: 35 *ASU and Southern – 300-Yard Total Offense Games: 24 *ASU – 400-Yard Total Offense Games: 8 *ASU – Wins By a Starting Quarterback: 42


Professional career


Carolina Panthers

Edwards was selected in the third round, pick #89, of the 2010 draft by the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
. Edwards could see the field at a variety of positions including wide receiver,
kickoff returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...
, and quarterback in the
wildcat formation Wildcat formation describes a formation for the offense in football in which the ball is snapped not to the quarterback but directly to a player of another position lined up at the quarterback position. (In most systems, this is a running back, b ...
. He was first activated in the 2010 season for the October 10 game against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
. After a 34-3 loss against New Orleans and the loss of Matt Moore to the injured reserve list, Coach John Fox hinted that Edwards would see more snaps at quarterback in practice. Edwards was named the emergency/third quarterback for the first time before the November 14 game at Tampa Bay, but did not see any game action. On December 12, Edwards featured at quarterback for one snap against the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
completing a pass to fellow rookie
David Gettis David Alexander Gettis (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Baylor University. High school care ...
for no gain. He received very little playing time during the following season. The Panthers released Edwards on October 8, 2013.


Cleveland Browns

The
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
signed Edwards on October 31, 2013. He was placed on the team's
injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...
on November 20. On December 23, Edwards was released by the team with an injury settlement.


Chicago Bears

Edwards signed with the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
on June 3, 2014. He was released by the team during final cuts on August 29, 2014.


Saskatchewan Roughriders

On February 24, 2016, it was announced that Edwards had signed with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
of the Canadian Football League.


Toronto Argonauts

On May 27, 2017, Edwards was traded from the Roughriders to the Toronto Argonauts in exchange for offensive lineman, Peter Dyakowski. Edwards had a breakout season in
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
for the Argos, playing in all but one regular season game, catching 83 passes for 962 yards with four touchdowns. In the playoffs he caught seven passes for 56 yards en route to winning the
105th Grey Cup The 105th Grey Cup was played on November 26, 2017, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. In a re-match of the 100th Grey Cup, the Argonauts won the game 27–24, winning their 17th champ ...
. In January 2018 Edwards and the Argos agreed to a new two-year contract. Edwards finished 2018 with a similar statistical line as 2017, with 4 receiving touchdowns and coming up just shy of 1,000 yards; however, the Argos went from first to worst, following up their 2017 championship with a league worst 4-14 record for 2018. 2019 saw the Argonauts with the same record, but Edwards eclipsed the 1,000 mark for the first time, and caught seven touchdowns. He became a free agent once his contract expired on February 11, 2020.


XFL

Edwards signed with the XFL's Team 9 practice squad on February 19, 2020. He was signed off of Team 9 by the
Dallas Renegades The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dway ...
on February 25, 2020. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.


Edmonton Elks

On April 10, 2020, it was announced that Edwards had signed with the Edmonton Eskimos. He played in six games for the renamed
Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
in 2021 and was released on December 28, 2021.


Career statistics


NFL statistics


CFL statistics

Regular season:


References


External links

*
Armanti Edwards at Chicago BearsArmanti Edwards at Carolina PanthersArmanti Edwards bio at GoASUCareer Recap at GoASU (PDF)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Armanti 1988 births Living people American football quarterbacks American football wide receivers American players of Canadian football Appalachian State Mountaineers football players Canadian football wide receivers Carolina Panthers players Cleveland Browns players Chicago Bears players Walter Payton Award winners People from Greenwood, South Carolina Sportspeople from Charlotte, North Carolina Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina Saskatchewan Roughriders players Toronto Argonauts players Team 9 players Dallas Renegades players Edmonton Elks players