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Former Syracuse center Jesse Edwards will join West Virginia next season, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. 

Edwards picked West Virginia over finalists Kansas and Gonzaga, making his decision five days after syracuse.com’s Donna Ditota reported that Edwards had entered the transfer portal. Edwards and his family “had been trying to work out an NIL situation” with Syracuse but eventually the two parties couldn’t reach an agreement. 

Edwards told ESPN that NIL wasn’t the main reason behind his decision.

“I mostly wanted to have a fresh start and a new challenge,” Edwards told syracuse.com. “NIL isn’t what I’m playing for. I didn’t really want to get into this, but it doesn’t seem that Syracuse as an organization is that into that. I’m not really sure what their plan is or what the school’s idea is behind it. For me it was something that they couldn’t offer in that way.”

In his four years with the Orange, Edwards finished with career averages of 8.8 points and six rebounds per game. Edwards had his most productive year this season after missing the end of last year with a wrist injury. In the 2022-23 season, he totaled 463 points, snatched 330 rebounds, recorded 87 blocks and shot at a 59.2% clip from the field. 

Edwards notched a career-high 27 points and 20 rebounds in Syracuse’s final home game against Wake Forest in the program’s first 20-point, 20-rebound night since 2009. Edwards was named to the All-ACC Third Team and All-Defensive Team this year.

West Virginia finished eighth in the Big 12 last season, losing to Maryland in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Former Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa joined the Mountaineers squad from the transfer portal on April 5.

Published on April 16, 2023 at 1:51 pm

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