Impactful Freshman Season for Andrew Edson
Andrew Edson burst onto the scene as a freshman making big play after big play for the football team last fall. He was named WSU's Defensive Player of the Week against Portland State following the second game of the season, a significant honor for a true freshman.
Edson's immediate success on the field was surprising to many. Even Edson's family did not see it coming in the first game because it is rare for a true freshman to play right away. But Edson contributed with sacks in the USC and Portland State games, while also registering fumble recoveries in the season's first two game.
He is also contributing with academic success off the field. If one looked up scholar-athlete in the dictionary, Edson might appear in bold text. During halftime of the men's basketball game against Arizona on February 10, WSU honored its "scholar-athletes," who earned at least a 3.0 semester GPA, which included Edson. His hard-working mentality helped him earn a 4.0 GPA in his first semester of college. Edson started in electrical engineering, but a computer science class sparked his interest in becoming a programmer, so he switched majors.
The high marks in his classes are impressive at any point in a college career. Many students need the first semester to adjust to living alone and managing classes. But Edson nabbed a 4.0 GPA while making time for the added responsibility of playing college at a Power Five level.
One of the most significant changes from high school football to college ball is the added two to three hours of film review a day. For example, when WSU prepped for USC last season, Edson learned from that game film review that the best way to get to the quarterback was to power rush the offensive tackles. With this knowledge, the freshman notched a sack and three tackles.
Edson is a Washington state native from Snoqualmie, thirty minutes from Seattle. To Cougs, though, Seattle is now mostly known as the site of WSU's largest margin of victory in the Boeing Apple Cup series history. The Apple Cup win in November was one of the most memorable games from his first year in Pullman, Edson recalled fondly.
"Everyone storming the field that was a really cool experience, especially in an away stadium," Edson said.
But before he could play in the Apple Cup, he had to be seen by the coaching staff back in high school.
Edson's dominance on defense at Mount SI High School in Snoqualmie caught the eye of the Cougar coaching staff and earned him the No. 14-ranked high school player in Washington. Edson has also played tight end in high school; he has always been a Cougar fan so saying yes to WSU was an easy decision.
"Once I got the offer, I actually committed that day."
WSU football and Andrew Edson clicked like the iconic duo of Ricky Bobby and Cal Naughton Jr from one of Edson's favorite movies, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Fun fact: his favorite line is when Will Farrell and John Reilly first say their famous catchphrase, "shake and bake."
When he is not on the football field or writing code, he can usually be found playing Fortnite against offensive lineman Christian Hilborn.
His early success should make him one of the foundational pieces for a surging Cougar defense during the 2022 season. The football team, along with Edson, has their eyes set on bigger goals next season.
"As a team, keep winning, making bowl games and I want to win a Pac-12 championship," Edson said.