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Minnesota Football: Gophers May Redshirt Berkley Edwards

Edwards slow recovery from an ankle injury and the emergence of David Cobb has eased the need to rush the freshman's return.

By Jeffrick
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Per Marcus Fuller of the PP, head coach Jerry Kill said on his weekly radio show today that they're considering redshirting freshman RB Berkley Edwards.

"First of all, we're playing pretty good at running back right now," Kill said on KFXN-FM. "Second of all, I'm not really sure he's 100 percent. Third of all, we'll see how it goes. There's a situation if we can stay healthy, maybe the best interest of Berkley may be redshirting him."

Let's ignore the "third of all" part of that statement since the first two points are what matters here: David Cobb and Roderick Williams have played very well thus far, and with Donnell Kirkwood expected back this weekend in some capacity, Minnesota goes three deep at tailback for the first time in years. Second, while Edwards will likely be taken off the injured list, by Kill's own admission he's obviously not close to 100%. Edwards is a very fast true freshman who could provide that "lightning" element of speed to a backfield that right now is loaded with "thunder". Nugget and Kirkland are two big bruising backs while Cobb has shown a good blend of size (listed at over 220 pounds) and speed himself.

IF Edwards were 100% he could help the Gophers right now, but at this point, with two other guys running the ball so well and a third back, who just happened to be your leading rusher last year, returning from injury, it obviously makes little sense to rush Edwards into the lineup until he's completely healthy. As long as Kirkland, Cobb, and Nugget continue to stay healthy and run well, and the longer it takes Edwards to fully heal, the less sense it makes to burn his redshirt this season.

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