Ryan Edwards Likely To Redshirt In 2014-15

When he committed to Gonzaga in the summer of 2012, Ryan Edwards was penciled in by most as a surefire redshirt when he hit campus.  Due to a thin returning frontcourt, however, the 7'1'', 300lb Edwards was forced into action this season.  He played admirably during that time and showed a lot of potential to be a solid player in future seasons.  That said, the thought in the back of everyone's mind was "damn, this kid could be great with a year of living in the weight room".

With the recent commitment of Domantas Sabonis, it appears this may become a reality.  Edwards has expressed an interest in redshirting, per this release from Gonzaga.  While we all have unreasonable expectations for redshirt seasons after what Kelly Olynyk did during his, it seems like a no brainer that this is the right move for Edwards.  While he showed the skills necessary to excel at this level, he moved around like you would expect a teenager that is 300 lbs to move...clumsily.  Remember how Kelly Olynyk used to move before he redshirted? It was quite atrocious.

It will be interesting to see if this comes to fruition as Gonzaga will still be relatively trim in the frontcourt if he does redshirt.  Rotation Karnowski, Wiltjer, and Sabonis in the interior means they will be extremely talented but Karnowski will have a lot of pressure on him to stay on the floor for extended periods of time, something that he still struggled with last season.  That said, the benefits for both Edwards and Gonzaga in the future seem to outweigh the possible risks.