Jahwan Edwards had heard of Ball State in high school. He had even watched the Cardinals play a game once, or maybe it was twice. One of those midweek ESPN deals. But if you had asked him to point to Ball State on a map or name what conference they played in, well, Edwards couldn't help you.
Growing up in suburban Charlotte, N.C., you could hardly blame him. The Mid-American Conference has little resonance in the heart of ACC country, where North Carolina, Duke and North Carolina State dominate.
That all changed for Edwards last winter when Pete Lembo left Elon for Ball State. Suddenly the running back had a scholarship offer from Ball State and was in his car to make the 10 hour drive from Matthews, N.C., to Muncie in January. He committed during his visit, sold on Lembo's no-nonsense sales pitch.
At the time, the path between Edwards and significant playing time in his freshman year was littered with obstacles. Ball State was set to return three of its top four running backs from last year and had Barrington Scott waiting in the wings after sitting out a year after he transferred from Northern Illinois.
But when Eric Williams left the program and injuries claimed David Brown and Cory Sykes, Edwards suddenly became much more important. In three games, he has gone from the Cardinals' secret to their leading rusher with 237 yards and three touchdowns.
The immediacy of Edwards' impact has come as a pleasant surprise to all associated with the program, Edwards included.
"When you're a hard worker, things just come naturally," he said. "When I'm in the game it's just football to me. When you go 100 percent every time, something good can happen all the time."
RECRUITING
North Carolina is well off Ball State's normal recruiting path. It last had a player commit from the state in 2004 when cornerback Trey Lewis signed with Ball State. In the last two years, former coach Stan Parrish refocused the Cardinals' recruiting on areas within a five-hour drive of Muncie, hoping to reduce the rate of attrition that had plagued Ball State with players from further away.
Lembo has none of those hang ups. He wants to find the best players for Ball State no matter how far away their home is and is determined to establish a presence in the South.
"It's all about recruiting the right guys," Lembo said. "We go to great lengths to evaluate character and fit. You can go as far back as the Dave McClain era here, and you can look at the Paul Shudel era here, and those staffs recruited in the South."
Edwards might be the first of a stream of players from faraway places to land in Muncie. But he said that if he had kept his grades in order in high school, he wouldn't be here.
"If grades weren't the case, I probably would never have thought of Ball State," Edwards said. "But I'm glad to be here and I thank these coaches for giving me the chance. I just want to do what I can for Ball State."
Lembo is a bit unsure himself how Edwards slipped through the cracks. Recruiting is an inexact science, but there are five FBS schools in North Carolina. Four — North Carolina, Duke, North Carolina State and Wake Forest — are in the ACC, a BCS conference. There also is East Carolina, a member of Conference USA. None offered Edwards a scholarship.
Lembo said he would have recruited Edwards if he had been at East Carolina. He can't be sure about any of the ACC schools because he is less experienced at that level. But he thinks their disinterest in Edwards may have had to do with his speed.
"Recruiting, a lot of it is in the eye of the beholder," Lembo said. "If anyone had a knock on him it was just flat out speed. But for a guy who's 230 pounds, he's faster than he looks."
TRANSITIONING
It is difficult to know which players will easily transition to college and which ones will struggle. Lembo said he thought Edwards had a chance to make a smooth adjustment, especially because of the level of the program at Butler High School, where Edwards played.
"Jahwan is way ahead of where I'd thought he would be in some ways," Lembo said. "His focus and attention to detail has exceeded my expectations."
But until a player gets on the field, it is impossible to know how they will react. Edwards' college debut was a highly successful one. He ran for 84 yards to lead Ball State in its season-opening victory against Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The next week, Edwards scored his first career touchdown at No. 17 South Florida and again led Ball State in rushing. Last week, he broke through for 112 yards and two touchdowns against Buffalo. Still, Edwards felt like he could have played better.
"There were some plays I tripped up on that I could have broken," Edwards said. "There's always things you can get better at and that's what I try to do."
No Ball State freshman has rushed for 1,000 yards since Bernie Parmalee in 1987. No Cardinal has rushed for 1,000 yards since MiQuale Lewis in 2008. While Edwards' pace would leave him slightly shy of the 1,000 yard mark, he has a chance to at least come close if he maintains his performance.
For now, Edwards is focused on team goals, listing the MAC championship and bowl games as his aims. But he wants to be sure you know he isn't going away soon.
"[You'll] probably be interviewing me a lot more," he tells a reporter. "Got some more tricks in my bag."
Edwards turns and walks into the Fisher Football Complex. He says he doesn't blame the schools in Carolina for not recruiting him. But that doesn't mean he can't make a name for himself now that he's gone.
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