Maryland junior wide receiver Tai Felton says to expect “a lot of swag” from Billy Edwards Jr., who is expected to start against Auburn in the Music City Bowl in Nashville on Dec. 30 in place of four-year starter Taulia Tagovailoa, who opted out of the bowl game.
Edwards is slated to compete for the starting quarterback job in 2024 with Cam Edge and NC State transfer MJ Morris, but the Music City Bowl offers a chance for Edwards to get a head start on the competition. Edge, a redshirt freshman, may also see time in the game.
Felton says Edwards is ready for the Music City Bowl assignment. The two know each other well. Felton is from Ashburn, Va., and a graduate of Stone Bridge High School, while Edwards hails from Springfield, Va., and graduated from Lake Braddock Secondary School.
“We played high school against each other. We played 7-on-7 together. So I’ve [known] Billy for around seven or eight years,” Felton said on Glenn Clark Radio Dec. 28. “One thing I’ll say, you’re going to see a lot of swag from Billy. He’s a huge swag guy, you wouldn’t know. He tries to stay low-key, but you’re going to see him play freely and have a lot of swag. He’s going to have a lot of fun out there, so I can’t wait to go out there and compete with him.”
Edwards has appeared in 14 games the past two seasons for Maryland after transferring from Wake Forest. The 6-foot-4, 219-pound quarterback has completed 32 of 56 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns as a Terp but has been used mostly in short-yardage situations in 2023. He has six rushing touchdowns this year, including three “Tush Push” scores against Michigan in November.
Edwards has started and finished one game in his college career thus far, against Northwestern in October 2022. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown in leading the Terps to a win in place of an injured Tagovailoa. He replaced Tagovailoa the previous week against Indiana, running for 53 yards and a score in crunch time.
Edwards hasn’t gotten any extended action thus far in 2023, but he has remained involved on and off the field.
“The coaches did a very good job of just making sure Billy’s been working with us on the field as well, but Billy’s just a good person as well so we’re all friends with Billy,” Felton said. “All the QBs and receivers and linemen, we usually get together during the week and on the weekends, so we’re all very friendly with each other. We’re like best friends. Billy, he’s taking a spot where he’s very comfortable.”
Felton, meantime, has developed into one of the Terps’ top receivers. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound receiver has caught 48 passes for 723 yards and 6 touchdowns, up from 23, 309 and 2 one season ago. Rather than look for opportunities elsewhere, Felton has chosen to remain at Maryland and develop in head coach Michael Locksley’s offense.
Felton’s reason for doing so is simple.
“Coming out of high school, Coach Locksley showed me a lot of loyalty and a lot of faith in me,” Felton said. “I hit a wall, adversity. I had torn my ACL in high school [in 2019] and I had lost a few offers. That loyalty that he showed me, I have to show it back to him. That’s why I’m so committed to this program, because what they showed me and my family going through the process.”
Felton caught four passes for 69 yards against NC State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl last December, which served as a jumping-off point for his 2023 season. He is hoping others can follow in his footsteps at the Music City Bowl.
“It’s very important for the young guys to realize that it’s their turn now,” Felton said. “It’s their turn to compete. This game will give us a huge momentum swing going into next year and give everybody a confidence boost that we can get ready for next season.”
For more from Felton, listen to the full interview here:
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