Former Episcopal DB Bryce Steele (Photo: Andy Hilton/recruit757)
Recruiting continues to be hot in Northern Virginia
by Jim McGrath, recruitNoVA
Lake Braddock QB Billy Edwards decommitted from Old Dominion on Friday and made a new commitment to Wake Forest on Monday.
More offers are coming in for the region’s athletes and we have a few twists in the recruitment of others.
Bryce Steele flips his commitment
While Edwards’ decision to change schools may have surprised some Northern Virginia football fans, his was not the only major switch to occur last week.
Bryce Steele, who last played for Episcopal High in Alexandria, made the change from South Carolina to Boston College last week.
Steele (c/o 2021 6-1 207) has played outside linebacker, but is slated to play safety for the Eagles. Steele was drawn to the Massachusetts mix through a former Maroon teammate Emmitt Morehead, former EHS quarterback who is also committed with BC.
Since leaving Episcopal after his sophomore year, Steele was hurt and missed his junior year wit Millbrook High in his native Raleigh, NC, and is not playing now because COVID has shut his team’s season.
COMMITTED .. 🦅‼️ @CoachJeffHafley @CoachVoulgaris pic.twitter.com/bcyt0poTVv
— Bryce Steele (@bryce_steele1) December 1, 2020
More on Billy Edwards
Just days after decommitting from Old Dominion, Lake Braddock quarterback Billy Edwards (c/o 2021, 6-3 210) has found a new home, with the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest.
Edwards had been called ODU’s “quarterback of the future” in some football circles. For this and other reasons, the decision to switch allegiances was not easy.
As Edwards told Deacons Illustrated, “To be honest, this was not an easy decision. With my other options already on the table, I really had to think it through, and make sure it was the right spot for my family and me.”
While ODU is not playing football this fall, Wake Forest (4-3, 3-3 ACC) has been a formidable opponent in the highly competitive, currently sitting in seventh of 15 teams.
If Edwards progresses quickly, he may be able to target some passes to a fellow Fairfax County teammate, with Taylor Morin, who played for a pair of state champion teams at Westfield, currently serving as the Deacons number three receiver with 25 receptions for 291 yards and two TDs. Edwards will join Mitch Griffis, formerly of Broad Run, on the depth chart behind junior Sam Hartman.
Eventually, his decision came to two factors. “Academics and football. Those two are huge there (at Wake) in the sense that I can play in the ACC, and at the same time get a degree that is one of the premier in the country.”
Edwards is the Deacons second quarterback recruit from the Class of 2021.
Seven for Seven
• Broad Run sophomore Alex Birchmeier (c/o 2023, 6-5 265) has added an 11th offer to his plate, this one from the University of Maryland.
• West Springfield running back Ethan Davies (c/o 2021, 5-10 185) snagged a major offer, with Virginia tech extending a scholarship. Davies boasts a 4.33 40-yard dash time.
• Ryan Upp (c/o 2021, 5-10 170), Tuscarora receiver, has received an offer from Morehead State (KY).
• Colonial Forge wide receiver/defensive back Delyn Palmer (c/o 2021 6-0 190) landed his first college scholarship offer courtesy of Seton Hill University (PA).
• Lake Braddock defensive end Mike Iduma (c/o 2021, 6-2 230) has a new offer from West Virginia State.
• West Springfield defensive tackle Thomas Jefferson, IV (c/o 2021 6-2 285) was offered by Duquesne, his third college scholarship offer.
• Centreville wide receiver Chris Kuzemka (c/o 2021 6-0 175) picked up a preferred walk-on opportunity from Virginia Tech on Tuesday afternoon.
– Jim McGrath
