Born in Alabama, Taylor Edwards grew and formed in the south – in University of Montevallo and Troy University – and four of his five football jobs were at the Southeast Conference or the Southeast in general. Now back at the SEC, as the personnel director for players in South Carolina, Edwards says he has returned to his comfort zone.
“I grew up in Birmingham, forty-five minutes from Tuscaloosa. We didn’t have a professional football team locally, ”Edwards told TheBigSpur.com in an exclusive interview.
“I grew up watching college football. I can think of several Saturdays that was all you did. You get up, grab a piece of Dreamland ribs, come home and spend time. When I had that opportunity (to leave Maryland and go to South Carolina), it was really stupid for me for a number of reasons. It got me much closer to family being within walking distance. Getting back to the Southeastern Conference has always been the ultimate goal, unless you make it to the NFL. Working at the SEC is always the ultimate goal. This is where I feel most familiar and comfortable. I’m really excited to be back. “
Edwards is not only back at the SEC, but also working for a technician he knew it would one day be.
In 2014, Shane Beamer and Edwards met at a wedding of a mutual friend, Jody Wright, whom Edwards considers to be a mentor and with whom Beamer worked in the state of Mississippi early in his coaching career. Wright is now a defensive assistant coach for the New York Giants. Beamer and Edwards’ friendship grew despite the fact that they had already worked together. The admiration grew from a distance.
“I’m surprised it didn’t cost me a job,” Edwards laughed about how he met Beamer.
“If I remember correctly, it was an open bar that night. Jokes aside, it’s so funny how this business works. I remember thinking that night: ‘You know, that guy is going to be the head coach one day.’ You follow his career and he is in the Carolinas and the ECU opens once or twice and you think ‘Ah, can Coach Beamer get this job?’ Obviously, he did a great job when his father was at Virginia Tech. I remember him being the interim coach in the bowling game and they won and I thought ‘Man, this guy did a great job. Your time is coming. ‘
“The good Lord has a good way of working things out. I think Shane would probably agree with me that it took him a little longer than he wanted, but I think he’s probably more prepared than ever to be a head coach and it shows all days at our facilities and offices. Whether it’s a team meeting or team meal or team meeting, the guy is totally in control and he’s first class. ”
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At Beamer’s first chance to become head coach, he hired Edwards to head one of the most important roles in a football program.
“Working for someone like Coach Beamer was a dream come true,” said Edwards.
“He is a fantastic football coach and an even better human being and man. I walked into his office (the other day) and Emily, his wife, was there and said, ‘Do you remember meeting Taylor at Jody’s wedding?’ She was like, ‘Yes, I really do.’ It’s funny how this thing works. Should I say that marriage was the reason he hired me? Probably not, but it certainly didn’t hurt me when the job became available. There was already some kind of familiarity there and being connected to great people that Coach Beamer trusts a lot. “