UCLA Football Linebacker Target Tre Edwards Sets Commitment Date, Top 4
The Bruins are officially in the running for one of the top linebackers in Southern California and in the country.
Class of 2023 linebacker Tre Edwards announced his top four finalists Monday afternoon, and UCLA football made the cut. The Mater Dei Catholic (CA) recruit is also considering Arizona, Cal and Oregon, and he said he will be making his commitment on Friday.
Edwards also had offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Notre Dame, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas A&M, UNLV and USC.
Edwards came to Westwood for an official visit over the weekend alongside six other prospects with offers from UCLA.
UCLA Director of Player Personnel Ethan Young tweeted his signature "BOOM!" Monday morning, which he does every time the team receives a verbal commitment. Edwards' visit had wrapped up just a few days before Young's tweet, and it was only a matter of hours between then and Edwards announcing his finalists and commitment date.
Edwards' first offers came rushing in after his freshman season with the Crusaders, when he was named a 2019 Freshman All-American by MaxPreps. USC, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon State, Illinois, UNLV, Cal and Arkansas all offered that offseason, while San Diego State, Oregon, Arizona, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Nevada and Utah State sent Edwards offers the following offseason.
UCLA started its official recruitment of Edwards last September under Don Pellum, who sent Edwards his official offer in late January five weeks before Ken Norton Jr. took over as inside linebackers coach.
Edwards is a consensus four-star prospect and is ranked as the top inside linebacker in California by the 247Sports Composite and ESPN. Rivals is the highest on Edwards, ranking him No. 137 overall in his class and No. 6 at his position, and all three systems have him pegged as a top-15 linebacker in the nation and top-20 player in California.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker played in 11 of Mater Dei Catholic's 13 games in 2021, helping them finish undefeated and win the CIF Division 2AA State Championship. Edwards was able to rack up 96 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and a forced fumble, also picking up two touchdown receptions on two catches on offense.
While Edwards' career high in tackles remains the 103 he recorded as a freshman, he took major steps forward as a pass rusher and run stuffer in 2021, earning a spot on the MaxPreps California All-State Team in the process.
Hawaii transfer Darius Muasau, Ale Kaho, Kain Medrano are in line to be the key contributors at UCLA's two inside linebacker spots in 2022, but Kaho is likely to leave next offseason and Muasau and Medrano will likely be done after 2023. Even the depth pieces of JonJon Vaughns, Damian Sellers, Jeremiah Trojan and Choe Bryant-Strother will be in their fourth years in the program come 2023, leaving the future at the position murky past lone 2022 signee Jalen Woods.
UCLA is also in hot pursuit of Edwards' Mater Dei Catholic teammate and fellow four-star recruit, wide receiver Jeremiah McClure. While McClure has yet to officially book a visit to Westwood, the Bruins are considered one of the favorites to reel him in, and that dynamic could develop further based on Edwards' upcoming decision.
If Edwards were to commit to UCLA, he would likely become the third member of coach Chip Kelly's 2023 recruiting class alongside receiver Grant Gray and linebacker/safety hybrid Ty Lee. Top running back target Roderick Robinson II is also set to make his commitment on Thursday, though, so there is certainly a lot at stake for the Bruins on the recruiting trail this week.
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