Last Updated on August 24, 2023 1:02 pm
BOONE, N.C. — He broke countless records and inspired hard-to-believe highlight reels. His teams captured consecutive national championships and captivated the nation with a headline-making upset.
App State’s Armanti Edwards: One for — make that 14 — the ages.
App State Athletics announced Thursday that Edwards, a star quarterback for the Mountaineers from 2006-09, will have his No. 14 retired this fall. The retirement ceremony will occur at halftime of the App State-Georgia Southern home game on Nov. 25, the culmination of a season-long celebration of Edwards’ unique and illustrious career.
“There aren’t enough words to express the amount of gratitude I have right now,” Edwards said. “Thank you to my family, the town of Boone, my coaches and teammates for the great deal of confidence you all had in me since day one. All of the support, the many sacrifices and the everlasting friendships are forever cherished. Boone will always have a place in my heart.”
Earlier this year, Edwards was nominated for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, giving him an opportunity to join Dexter Coakley as the only members to have played for the Mountaineers. Coakley (No. 32), John Settle (No. 23), Dino Hackett (No. 38) and Larry Hand (No. 71) already have their numbers retired in Boone.
The honoring of Edwards’ No. 14 is the last time App State plans to take a jersey number out of circulation due to limited inventory of jersey numbers for the roster each season. Current student-athletes wearing No. 14 will have the option to wear it for the remainder of their time at App State. App State Athletics will plan to recognize alums who have made a historic impact on the program in other ways moving forward.
To be sure not to miss out on a historic day at Kidd Brewer Stadium, where Edwards’ teams posted a 30-3 record during his career, you can purchase tickets for the Nov. 25 regular-season finale. App State will have number 14-themed promotions throughout the 2023 football season.
“We are thrilled to honor Armanti’s immense legacy at App State by retiring his No. 14 jersey,” said Director of Athletics Doug Gillin. “His impact as the most decorated quarterback in school history includes leading the team to back-to-back national championships and the historic win at Michigan. Armanti will always be known as one of the greatest Mountaineers to ever wear the Black and Gold.”
During his four years in Boone, Edwards was a four-time first-team All-American, the first two-time FCS National Player of the Year (Walter Payton Award) and a two-time national champion who went 42-7 as a starter, including the historic 34-32 upset of No. 5 Michigan to open App State's 2007 championship season. The Mountaineers went 28-2 in conference games with three unbeaten runs to league titles in his four seasons.
He spent 12 years in pro football after being a third-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Edwards amassed 14,753 yards of total offense in his App State career (10,392 passing with 4,361 rushing) and 139 total touchdowns (74 passing with 65 rushing) while helping lead App State to a 48-9 record from 2006-09 with back-to-back national titles in 2006 and 2007.
Edwards became the first Division I player (FBS or FCS) with more than 10,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in his career and currently has only one other player (Colin Kaepernick of Nevada) as company on that list.
Edwards remains an FCS record holder for career rushing TDs by a quarterback and most seasons with 3,000-plus yards of total offense (four seasons, tied for first with Steve McNair) while ranking No. 2 in career rushing yards by a QB and No. 4 in career total offense.
His four first-team All-America honors from 2006-09 include first-team recognition from the Associated Press in 2008 and 2009.
Edwards posted single-game highs of 433 passing yards (still a school record) and 313 rushing yards (in a 2007 FCS semifinal win to currently rank No. 2 in single-game rushing yards by an FCS quarterback and No. 2 by any App State player, broken in 2020). In the upset of Michigan, he accounted for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and 289 yards of total offense (227 passing, 62 rushing).
