‘Reckless’ Pitt DE Sincere Edwards is Exactly What Panthers Need

Sincere Edwards got used to Pat Narduzzi screaming at him this spring. His coaches at Wekiva in Orlando didn’t really care if he hit the quarterback in practice; Narduzzi does.

That sort of reckless abandon may not bode well in the spring practice window, but it certainly bodes well for the future of Edwards as an edge rusher in Pittsburgh.

“(Edwards is) definitely pushing for (playing time),” Narduzzi said earlier this month. “He’s still learning the defense, too. He still gets confused at times. But for a freshman, he’s a different-level guy right now. He’s got a motor; he’s physical.

“If you guys stood in a line, he’s going to run through you and not care. He’s just going to get after you. That’s what he’s all about. He’s reckless. Some guys, they’re freshmen, they’re cautious, they’re looking around like, ‘Am I allowed to do this?’ The dude’s reckless. He plays reckless. He practices reckless. I can’t wait to see him in a game.”

Edwards racked up a tackle and a quarterback hurry in the Blue-Gold Spring Game last weekend, but according to Nate Matlack, he recorded back-to-back sacks in the final team scrimmage of the spring two weeks ago.

Edwards — a 6-foot-1, 245-pound defensive end from Florida — was working to crack the defensive end rotation even before Dayon Hayes hit the transfer portal this week.

It had to be a tough break for Edwards; he quickly grew to admire Hayes in their brief time together. They sat side by side every day in film sessions, after all.

When Hayes gave Edwards a shout-out before he entered the portal, it meant a lot.

“To hear that from Dayon, that’s a big pat on the back,” Edwards said earlier this month. “Because Dayon is gonna be one of the people who’s going to the league next year, so to hear that from an older cat, that makes me proud.”

But now that Hayes is gone, it opens up an opportunity for Edwards. The defensive line took a pretty substantial hit following the end of last season. Devin Danielson, David Green and Tyler Bentley graduated, Hayes, Samuel Okunlola and Deandre Jules hit the transfer portal and Nate Temple is out for the season due to injury.

A new age of Pitt defensive linemen has arrived. By all accounts, it’s a unit that can offer what last season’s roster couldn’t — speed and agility off the line. It’s a much younger, much more versatile unit as a whole. And while Edwards is young, he’s a leading figure in a new-look defensive line.

“We have a real young D-line room, so pretty much last year, they had a real old D-line room, so when we say New Era, this is to get — last year we were 3-9, so the New Era is we’re erasing last year and this is the new year,” Edwards said. “A new era.”

Edwards committed to Pitt — and arrived in when Charlie Partridge was still coaching the room. Partridge was a major reason why Edwards committed to Pitt, but he’s built a bond with Tim Daoust over the last couple of months.

“I just want to start off by saying he’s a great coach,” Edwards said. “He’s challenged me the most so far by just giving me reps in practice and stuff of that nature. Just challenging me to manage my mental errors.”

Edwards isn’t the biggest edge rusher, standing at just 6-foot-1, but he’s already begun to bulk up since arriving in Pittsburgh. He’s 245 pounds, a shredded 245 pounds, and he’s aiming to get bigger while maintaining his speed off the edge.

Edwards believes his twitch off the ball is his calling card. He’s an explosive edge off the line, recording 34 tackles for loss and 21 tackles over his final two seasons at Wekiva, and it’s that speed in a powerful, compact frame that allows him to wreak havoc in opposing backfields.

“Just play fast, play aggressive,” Edwards said over the winter. “At the end of the day, football is football, so see ball, get ball.”

The transition from high school to college football hasn’t exactly been easy, but at the end of the day, it’s still football. There are little things here and there that require him to take a step back and evaluate, but that’s why he decided to enroll early.

“Me doing that will put me in the best position to start as a true freshman,” Edwards said. “My goal is to win Freshman All-American and so me coming here early would put me on the path to do that.”

It’s ambitious to dream about Freshman All-American honors. It would require some serious playing time, but Edwards thought of himself as a starter even before Hayes left. And if there’s a player at any position who has emerged as an instant impact performer, it’s Edwards. He isn’t the biggest, but his desire to be great is what has led to success in the past.

“If not starting, definitely heavy second string,” Edwards said. “But I’m competing against me, every day. So, as long as I can get myself better every day, that 1% better every single day, God will bless it.”

The expectation was that Hayes and Nate Matlack would start. Bam Brima will play inside and outside, likely more than expected. After that, it’s uncertain.

Matlack looks like he’s going to have a good season. He’s more suited as an edge. He’s a good player to have, a veteran voice who should produce on the field. Brima has been around for a while, but he’s likely more of a rotational player than anything else.

Jimmy Scott showed some flashes last season, but he’s only taken 109 defensive snaps in his career. That is more than any of the younger defensive ends though.

David Ojiegbe was a highly ranked recruit out of high school in 2023, but he only played a handful of snaps for Clemson last season. I think he’ll be in the two-deep. He’ll have to be. Antonio Camon, Maverick Gracio, Zach Crothers and Edwards haven’t taken a snap at the college level — Crothers and Edwards just got to Pitt in January.

But Edwards has the opportunity to emerge immediately as an impact defensive end in Pittsburgh.