Entering sixth year at TCNJ in 2024
TCNJ head football coach Casey Goff announced the hiring of Edwyn Edwards as the team’s new defensive coordinator in March 2019. Edwards also serves the Lions as defensive backs coach and co-academic coordinator.
Edwards' charges continued to rank among the nation's best in 2023, racking up 3.40 sacks per game to finish 7th in all of Division III as well as 40th in tackles for loss per game (7.2). Six players received All-NJAC recognition, while fifth-year captains Cole Groschel and Ryan McGuire were named to the D3football.com All-Region Team.
Edwards' aggressive defense was on full display in 2022, when the Lions led the entire country in tackles for loss at 9.2 per game and ranked eighth in sacks at 3.56 per game. Senior edge rusher Nick Celli was a dominant force, averaging 2.2 tackles for loss per game to rank 5th in the nation. TCNJ was also 16th in Division III in first-down defense. The Lions held four teams to 17 points or fewer and made history in a 33-2 win at William Paterson, when they did not allow a single first down.
The Lions' defense held its opponents to under 20 points in four games in the first season under Edwards. The Lions ranked 80th in the nation in rushing defense, which was a 66-place improvement from 2018 when TCNJ ranked 146th. Edwards coached safety Xavier Santos to an All-NJAC honorable mention. Defensive lineman Erik Graham also earned First Team All-NJAC honors, as well as D3football.com Second Team All-East Region recognition.
Edwards came to TCNJ following a stint as the defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator at King’s (Pa.), his alma mater. Goff coached Edwards at King’s during his senior season in 2010.
“Edwyn was impressive then and is even more impressive now,” Goff said. “His knowledge of the game, his maturity and his ability to communicate with the players will be invaluable to this team. I am beyond excited to be reunited with Edwyn and for him to run our defense.”
In 2018, the King’s pass defense ranked third in the MAC in passing yards allowed at just 184.7 per game. That ranked in the top third nationally, and it was an 80-yard-per-game improvement over the team’s average in 2017. The Monarchs also ranked fifth in their conference in interceptions and third in sacks with 30. Edwards coached Charles McCall to all-conference honors at linebacker. McCall and Elijah Demosthene were each selected to the D3football.com Team of the Week under Edwards’ tutelage.
"I am thankful and very excited to be here at TCNJ,” Edwards said. “I am looking forward to developing a relationship with the student-athletes, their families, the faculty and staff of the college. I want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point. No interaction was too small, and I am grateful for their support and encouragement along the way."
Prior to his return to King’s, Edwards served as the running backs and tight ends coach at Salve Regina in 2016. He helped lead one of the most prolific rushing offenses in the nation that year. Salve Regina was eighth in the NCAA in rushing yards, averaging 274.3 yards per game. The team also scored 41.2 points per game, good for 13
th in the country. Edwards coached running backs Sam Pascale and James Dawson to all-conference honors. Pascale also earned NEFC Offensive Player of the Year accolades.
He spent the previous four years at Anna Maria College (Mass.), starting with a two-year stint as secondary coach before a promotion to defensive coordinator. In those two years as coordinator, Edwards vastly improved the defense. In the year before he took over, Anna Maria allowed 464.6 yards per game, 216
th in the nation. In Edwards’ first season as coordinator, he dropped the yardage average to 392 yards per game, 151
st in the nation. In his second year as the coordinator, the average dropped again to 369.5 yards per game, good for 104
th in the NCAA.
During his playing career at King’s, Edwards fought injuries while serving as a starting safety for two seasons. He assumed the starter’s job late in his freshman season, and he started all 10 games as a sophomore in 2008, posting 26 tackles and an interception.
Edwards also excelled in the classroom and campus community. He was an eight-time Dean’s List student at King’s, and he was inducted into the Aquinas Honor Society and the Sociology Honor Society. He served in student government and as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
He earned a bachelor’s from King’s in criminal justice and a master’s from Anna Maria in pastoral ministry.
