Story courtesy of Ferris State's Sports Information Department
Austin Edwards Video Highlights 
Big Rapids, Mich. - Yet another Ferris State University football standout will have an opportunity to continue his career in the National Football League (NFL) as Bulldog senior defensive end Austin Edwards (Lansing/Waverly) signed with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons immediately following the NFL Draft on Saturday night.
Edwards, who was chosen as the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year this past fall, inked with the Falcons after the draft and will have an opportunity to earn a roster spot in preseason camp. Edwards drew interest from nearly every National Football League organization and was one of the top four prospective draftees from the D2 level prior to the draft.
Along with being FSU's first-ever Gene Upshaw Award recipient this past fall, Edwards became the first defensive player to win the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year Award since 2005 after leading the Bulldogs to an undefeated regular season, a second consecutive GLIAC Championship and a No. 2 ranking nationally. He followed up an All-America-caliber season in 2018 with his third All-GLIAC First Team selection and was a consensus first-team All-America choice this fall. He also earned an invitation to compete in the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl held in January.
Anchoring one of the stingiest defenses in Division II, Edwards compiled 17.5 tackles for loss (-106 yards) along with 10.5 sacks (-87 yards) and 64 total stops this past campaign with both a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The three-year starter was a three-time All-GLIAC honoree and three-time All-American who helped FSU to its sixth consecutive NCAA Division II Playoff appearance this past year and the region's top seed along with a fourth-straight trip to the national quarterfinals or beyond.
The two-time All-GLIAC First Team pick was a finalist for the second consecutive year for the Cliff Harris Award as one of the nation's top small college performers and is a highly-regarded NFL prospect. He was named to the 2019 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America First Team and also chosen as the D2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Year along with being a candidate for the 2019 Harlon Hill Trophy presented to Division II's top all-around performer.
Edwards becomes the seventh former Bulldog standout currently with an NFL organization. Including this year, the Bulldogs have now had at least one draftee or NFL free agent pickup following the draft each of the past seven years. A total of 11 different former Bulldogs have now been invited to NFL Preseason Camps the past three years.
Two years ago, former defensive tackle Zach Sieler became Ferris State's first-ever NFL Draft choice when he was picked in the seventh round as the 238th overall selection by the Baltimore Ravens. This past fall, a school-record total of five Bulldog alums were on active NFL rosters at one point, including Tavierre Thomas (Cleveland), Justin Zimmer (Cleveland), Zach Sieler (Miami), Brady Sheldon (Cincinnati) and Jason Vander Laan (New Orleans). Former receiver Malik Taylor also spent the year with the Green Bay Packers and all six remain with NFL organizations.
Last summer, eight Bulldog alums received official NFL preseason training camp invites, which represented the most in school history and the most among any NCAA Division II school. Along with the seven now in the NFL, former defensive tackle Chris Okoye (Cincinnati), receiver Jake Lampman (New Orleans/Tampa Bay), offensive tackle Devon Johnson (Atlanta) and receiver Keyondre Craig (San Francisco) have also competed in training camps since 2018.
Over the past four seasons, Sieler, Vander Laan, Sheldon, Zimmer, Thomas and Lampman have all seen NFL regular-season action after Lampman became the first to do so in 13 years back in 2016.
Unofficially, at least 23 former Ferris State players have now inked NFL free agent deals in school history. Former defensive back Marvin Robinson inked with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014 with defensive tackle Marcus Cribbs signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015. Those two represented the first since free agent cornerback Angelo Williams with the Minnesota Vikings in 2010. Previously, in 2013, former defensive end Jordan Morgan received a rookie tryout with the New York Giants, but did not sign. In 2016, Vander Laan, Lampman and Zimmer all signed and reached NFL camps while Sheldon did likewise in 2017 before Sieler, Thomas and Okoye joined NFL organizations in 2018. Last year, the trio of Taylor, Johnson and Craig all were signed following the draft.
The select group also consists of running back Dave Gagnon (1974-Chicago Bears), outside linebacker Monty Brown (1997-New York Jets), defensive tackle Ed Philion (1994-Buffalo Bills), defensive end Dave Zuiderveen (2001-Atlanta Falcons), flanker Clarence Coleman (2002-Buffalo Bills), tackle Matt McCoy (2004-Detroit Lions), wide receiver Carlton Brewster (2006-Cleveland Browns) and defensive tackle Jake Visser (2009-Houston Texans).
Two other former Ferris State players, offensive guard Bill Bourdlais and safety Patrick Wells, received tryout invitations from the Cleveland Browns in 2008 and participated in the team's rookie minicamp, but did not ink a deal. Several others have also had NFL tryouts including wide receiver Andre Johnson (1989), quarterback Dave DenBraber (1987) and receiver/returner Fred Kirkland (1981). Defensive back James Skodak (2006) also had tryouts with several NFL organizations among other past Bulldog standouts.
Edwards became the first-ever Ferris State Football standout to receive the Upshaw Award and is the fourth Bulldog in the past six years to claim one of Division II Football's top individual honors, joining Harlon Hill Trophy winning quarterbacks Jason Vander Laan (2014, 2015) and Jayru Campbell (2018).
The Bulldogs concluded the year with a 12-1 overall record en route to the national semifinals and a GLIAC Championship. It was FSU's second consecutive conference crown and this year marked the Bulldogs' fourth-straight trip to the national quarterfinals or beyond, which is the longest streak in the country. This past year's national semifinal contest marked the first-ever semifinal played at home for the Bulldogs and the latest game ever played in a year at Top Taggart Field. Over the past two seasons, the Bulldogs have compiled a 27-2 mark.
