CONWAY (WBTW) – Conway grad and former South Carolina wide receiver Bryan Edwards was drafted in the 3rd round on Friday night by the Las Vegas Raiders. He will join fellow Grand Strand native Hunter Renfrow who played at Socastee in the desert. Renfrow was drafted by the Raiders in 2019 in the 5th round and just completed his 1st season out west.
Edwards is the Gamecocks all-time leader in receptions (234) and yards (3,045.) He also scored 22 touchdowns in his 4 seasons in the state capital.
2019
Named the Steve Wadiak MVP, the MVP of the offense (Steve Spurrier Award), the Most Explosive Player on offense, the Tenacity Award winner for offense, and one of five permanent team captains following his senior season… selected to the Coaches’ second-team All-SEC squad and was a third-team All-SEC selection by Pro Football Focus… invited to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and to the NFL Combine… set the school records for consecutive games with a catch (48), career receptions (234) and career receiving yards (3,045)… also ranks third in school history with 22 career receiving touchdowns, one behind Sidney Rice and Alshon Jeffery… led all Power 5 schools and was third among all Division I receivers in career receptions and career receiving yards… led the SEC with 7.1 receptions per game and ranked fourth with 81.6 receiving yards per game in 10 games… had a trio of 100-yard receiving games, going for 112 vs. Charleston Southern, 113 at Missouri and 139 vs. Vanderbilt, giving him eight in his career… had a career night against the Commodores when he tied the school single-game record with 14 receptions… had a catch in every game he played in and logged 25 career games, including nine in 2019, with five or more catches… had at least six receptions in each of his final eight games… had nine catches for 90 yards and a touchdown on Senior Day vs. App. State… had a 75-yard touchdown reception at Missouri, tying for the longest of his career… made a spectacular one-handed catch to set up a touchdown at Tennessee… also returned seven punts on the season for 125 yards, a 17.9-yard average… missed the final two games of the season with a knee injury… graduated in December.
2018
Gamecocks’ second-leading receiver with 55 receptions for 846 yards and seven touchdowns… ranked sixth in the SEC with 65.1 receiving yards per game and 10th with 4.2 receptions per game… also handled the punt return duties for the Gamecocks, returning 12 punts for 95 yards, a 7.9-yard average… named one of three Strength & Conditioning Award winners by the coaches… had three 100-yard receiving games and recorded three receptions of 70 or more yards… reeled in seven passes for 111 yards and a career-high two touchdowns vs. Georgia… led the Gamecocks with seven receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Missouri… had a pair of two-point conversions against Texas A&M… finished with three catches for 96 yards against Tennessee, including a then career-high 73-yard reception to set up Carolina’s final touchdown of the game… caught four passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in the win over Ole Miss, including a highlight-reel one-handed grab for a 75-yard touchdown… made four receptions for 69 yards vs. Chattanooga and became the 10th Gamecock in history to go over 2,000 career receiving yards in the win… tallied five catches for a team-high 109 yards in the Akron win, including a 70-yard touchdown grab.
2017
Named the Steve Spurrier Award winner as the Most Valuable Player on offense… led the team with 64 receptions, 793 receiving yards and five touchdown catches… the 64 catches ranked eighth in school history for a single season… listed fifth in the SEC with 4.9 receptions per game and seventh in the league with 61.0 receiving yards per game… started every game, catching at least three passes in 11 of the 13 contests… led the team in receptions nine times… named a game captain and caught six passes for a career-best 122 yards against Louisiana Tech… included was an acrobatic 41-yard in the game’s final minute that catch that set up the game-winning field goal… it was his second-career 100-yard game… led Carolina with six catches for 63 yards in the Tennessee win… had seven receptions for 62 yards and a score at Georgia… matched a career high with eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Wofford win… logged six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown against Clemson… hauled in five passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Outback Bowl win over Michigan… named the Harold White GPA Award winner for the offense at the Garnet & Black spring game.
2016
True freshman who enrolled in January and went through spring drills… started all 12 games in which he appeared… earned Athlon’s Freshman All-America second team honors and All-SEC Freshman first team accolades… turned in the second-best true freshman campaign for a wide receiver in school history behind only Alshon Jeffery… finished third on the team with 44 catches and with 590 receiving yards, and tied for first with four touchdown receptions… ranked eighth among FBS freshmen with 590 receiving yards and with 49.2 receiving yards per game… became the sixth true freshman to start in the season opener for Carolina since 2009, joining Stephon Gilmore (2009), Marcus Lattimore (2010), Jadeveon Clowney (2011), Bryson Allen-Williams (2014) and Al Harris Jr. (2014)… led all players in the Vandy win with eight receptions for 101 yards… his 100-yard receiving effort was the only one recorded by an FBS freshman in Week 1… caught six of his receptions for 89 yards after halftime, including a 33-yarder… became just the eighth Gamecock in history to accumulate over 100 receiving yards in a season opener… led the Gamecocks with five catches for 68 yards in the East Carolina win… hauled in a 42-yard reception to set up a Carolina touchdown vs. the Pirates… missed the Texas A&M game with an injury suffered late in the Kentucky contest… caught three passes for 42 yards in the UMass win, including his first career TD, a 24-yarder… reeled in four passes for 41 yards and a touchdown in the Tennessee victory… pulled in a 17-yard scoring toss against the Vols, giving him a touchdown for the second straight week… led the Gamecocks with four catches for 61 yards in the Western Carolina win, including a 40-yard reception… notched one reception against Clemson, a 33-yard touchdown catch on a trick play, with the pass coming from fellow wideout Deebo Samuel… caught six passes for 71 yards and a score in the Birmingham Bowl vs. USF… a member of the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
HIGH SCHOOL
Graduated from Conway (S.C.) High School at the end of the 2015 fall semester… coached by Chuck Jordan… considered one of the state’s top players as a senior in 2015 until suffering a season-ending knee injury in late October… was a finalist for South Carolina’s “Mr. Football”… finished his senior campaign with 53 catches for 969 yards and nine scores… selected for the Shrine Bowl and the US Army All-American Game… finished his prep career with 188 catches for 2,562 yards and 32 touchdowns… Rivals ranked him as the fourth-best player in the state and the 64th-best wide receiver in the country… considered the third-best player in the state and the 12th-best wideout in the nation by 247Sports… ESPN ranked him as the state’s third-best player, the nation’s 43rd-best wide receiver and No. 253 overall… an All-American and No. 223 overall by PrepStar.
Courtesy – South Carolina Gamecock Athletics