Georgia football: 30 greatest players of the Mark Richt era

• SEC Champion (2002)
• SEC record for most career receiving yards (3,093)
• Second-most receptions all-time in SEC (204)
• 30 career touchdown catches

A common theme with many Georgia greats is that their older brother starred for the Red and Black. Terrence Edwards had big shoes to fill, as his older brother Robert Edwards was an outstanding running back for former head coach Jim Donnan. However, a devastating knee injury brought his promising NFL career to an end almost as soon as it began.

The younger Edwards brother would go on to be one of the best pass catchers in SEC history. Edwards first joined the Dawgs in 1999, where he had a terrific freshman season for Donnan. He had 53 receptions for 772 yards and nine touchdowns in 1999 with Quincy Carter slinging him the pigskin. Somehow, those impressive first-year totals didn’t garner Edwards a spot on an All-Freshman Team.

Nevertheless, Edwards persisted and kept up his great work in the Georgia receiving game. His sophomore year in 2000 would be much of the same as 1999, as Edwards had 53 receptions for 704 yards and four touchdowns. Keep in mind that Carter missed a good bit of what was his final season with the team, as he suffered a torn ligament in the thumb of his throwing hand mid-season.

So before Mark Richt even arrived in Athens, Edwards already had 22 games under his UGA belt with 106 grabs for 1,476 yards and 13 touchdowns. Turns out, he was just getting started putting up numbers in the Georgia passing game.

With David Greene as Georgia’s starter during Edwards’ last two years with the Dawgs, Edwards would go on to set SEC receiving records for the Red and Black. He holds the SEC record for most career receiving yards with 3,093 and is second most with receptions at 204.

Yes, Edwards’ numbers are impressive, but it was his ability to develop a rapport with Greene in 2002 is what has him inside of the top-15 in this all-time list of former Richt greats at Georgia. In 2002, Edwards had by far and away his best season as a receiver. He ended up with 59 receptions for 1,0004 yards and 11 touchdowns, all college career highs.

Georgia would have its best season in 2002 since Vince Dooley was roaming the sideline in the early 1980s. The Dawgs not only won the SEC East for the first time since 1992’s realignment to include 12 conference teams, but won the SEC for the first time since the Dooley era as well. No doubt Edwards’ 1,000-yard receiving season helped get the Dawgs on top in the SEC in 2002.

Even though he was a record-setter while at Georgia, Edwards went undrafted in 2003. He would spend part of two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons before having to go north of the border to play in the CFL. However, it was in Canada that Edwards carved out a successful professional career. He played nine seasons in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, making three All-Star Games before retiring in 2013.