It Was Blue Over Orange for Freshman Lineman Kalen Edwards

Defensive lineman Kalen Edwards (93) joked around with teammate Martels Carter before a UK media opportunity but he wants to be all business on the field so he can play in the NFL. (Larry Vaught Photo)

Four-star defensive lineman Kalen Edwards is from Dyersburg, Tenn., but he was never a Tennessee fan and made that obvious when he said one of the highlights of his life was signing to play football at Kentucky.

“I’m from Tennessee, so Tennessee was in my mind but I had kind of bad blood with Tennessee,” said the Kentucky freshman. “I can’t wait to play Tennessee. I liked the blue when I was a kid. That blue was nice. I like the blue over that (Tennessee) checkerboard looking stuff.”

How did that go over living in Tennessee?

“Well, you keep it to yourself.  Before I committed, everybody was wondering what I would do. They would ask, ‘Are you going to Tennessee?’ Everybody in the community, everybody in my school. Every time they asked I’d be like, I don’t know. But I knew where I was going and it was not Tennessee.”

The 6-4, 315-pound Edward picked Kentucky over Auburn and Louisville after playing offensive line, defensive line and tight end at Dyersburg.

Edwards should be a player Kentucky fans quickly embrace. In the Kentucky football media guide he was asked if he could have dinner with one famous person, living or dead, who would he pick? His choice was former UK linebacker J.J. Weaver, a three-time captain at UK who was recently named the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year that is based primarily on a player’s leadership both on and off the field.

The UK freshman said it was Weaver’s story —  his father was murdered in Georgia and his high school coach and mentor died of cancer in the same year and then Weaver also suffered a serious knee injury in the same — that touched him well before Edwards got on campus.

“He was a great Kentucky player and just something stuck out to me. I really didn’t know him but his story just touched me.”

Edwards wasn’t familiar with another Randall Cobb, who grew up only a few miles away from the Tennessee camp but was not recruited by the Vols until after he committed to Kentucky. Cobb went on to earn all-SEC honors and have a long NFL career.

“I didn’t know what. I will have to Google him but I like it,” the UK freshman said.

He wants to succeed at Kentucky so he can eventually be in position to help his mother for what she’s done for him.

“She’s a single mom and just worked so hard for me and my three sisters,” he said. “She has always worked super hard and I want to help her by doing something I love. I don’t want my mom to have to work again. That’s one reason I came to Kentucky because I feel like coach Stew (Anwar Stewart) and UK could get me to the NFL so my mom won’t have to work. That’s my big motivation.

“I like coach Stew because he can joke around with you but when it is time to work, it’s time to work. I like that. It’s not always serious but you know you are going to work.”

Edwards said Stewart made that message clear before he committed to Kentucky.

“He straight up told me ‘if you want to hit that main goal (NFL), if you come work with me, and if you put in the effort, I will get you there.’ That’s exactly what he told me when he came to my school and I told him,” Edwards said. “I ain’t gonna say I committed right off. I was still looking around, but when he told me that it was always in the back of my mind.

“You know what was crazy. No other coach told me that. So I knew from then on I definitely was going to Kentucky.”