Terrence Edwards knows a good bit about the Georgia wide receiver room.

Part of that comes from the fact that he was one during his playing days for the Bulldogs. He still holds a number of Georgia receiving records, including being the program’s only 1,000-yard receiver.

Edwards has also been instrumental in the development of some of the top wide receivers from the Atlanta area in recent years. Among some of his past pupils include Jermaine Burton and Arik Gilbert.

DawgNation Daily’s Brandon Adams interviewed Edwards on a number of key topics pertaining to the Georgia wide receiver room this week. Georgia has an opening for its wide receivers coach as Cortez Hankton is now at LSU.

Below you can see the full interview Edwards had with Adams, as well as a portion of the transcript. DawgNation Daily airs every Monday through Friday at 10 a.m. ET on the DawgNation homepage and social channels.

Terrence Edwards shares thoughts on Jermaine Burton, Arik Gilbert and Georgia wide receivers coach opening

DawgNation: We talked last week about the rumor the possibility that Jermaine might leave and now that’s happened, he is in the transfer portal officially. What is your reaction to the fact that Jermaine Burton is looking to move on from UGA?

Edwards: I was surprised at first. Once I kind of get wind of it. Starting off from the top, it kind of bothered me when Justin Robinson decided to transfer. I read and people sent me screenshots of how classless it was for him to announce he was transferring on the day of the celebration. I think a lot of Georgia fans and a lot of fans period go over the top with their conspiracy theories. Justin didn’t post he was transferring on the day of just to try and knock Georgia. That’s the day he told Mississippi State he was coming so that was the day he decided to post it. That had nothing to do with Georgia when Justin posted that he was transferring.

With Jermaine, what bothers me about the whole situation, people want to call him a quitter or selfish. I held some words back but I challenge to everyone, have you ever changed jobs? Has anyone ever changed jobs to themselves. If this young man feels that he wants to leave Georgia for whatever reason he wants to leave — and I’m not going to get into the reasons he wants to leave — whatever reason, if his family feels this is a better situation for them, why can’t he better himself? That’s the part I just don’t get. He didn’t do it before the season, he didn’t opt-out. He gave Georgia everything he could and helped Georgia bring a National Championship. And this is how we repay the young man? Because he decides that it’s time for him to move on? We all move on in life. Are you a quitter because you wanted a different job to help your family? Are you selfish to the coworkers that you left? That’s what I don’t get. I don’t get why sports and entertainment have to abide by certain rules that everyone else doesn’t have to abide by. We don’t get the opportunity to better ourselves and better our families. Why do non-athletes get to live by a different set of rules...

I don’t really agree with the portal. My father taught my brother and I if you’re going to start some(thing) you’re going to finish it. You may change after the season but you’re not going to quit, you’re not going to leave midseason. I don’t necessarily like the portal, I wish it could be changed some type of way but that’s the type of rules we live with.

I think Alabama benefitted the most last year with Jameson Williams because he’s a dynamic, dynamic wide receiver. It changed that offense. I think everyone now is going to do the portal thing and leave. Every school is going to benefit. We benefitted with Derion Kendrick through the portal. Every school is going to lose some and every school is going to gain some. That’s just the way it is.

But the way these kids are vilified is uncalled for and unnecessary.

DawgNation: There’s a lot of talk that comes up about maybe a former Georgia player like yourself because we know the work you’re doing with current receivers and your personal coaching. but also at Pace Academy. Hines Ward’s name comes up as well, since we’ve talked about it on the show it seems fair we ask about it on the show. What do you think your future is, is being a coach at the college level something you’d like to be a part of? What is your own idea about what you’d like your future to be?

Edwards: Of course I would love to coach at the college level. I would love to go to Georgia as the receivers coach in some capacity. I would love that. That would be the sweetest thing I think for me and my family. My wife is a Georgia alum, my kids love it. Everyone knows my brother Robert (Edwards), my brother’s wife, my wife’s mother went to grad school. My whole family is Georgia. We bleed red and black. If that is in the cards, I would love it. Do I love what I do now? I love coaching at Pace Academy. I was the offensive coordinator at Pace Academy this year. I love doing my wide receiver training. Developing young kids into young men, ala Jermaine. Jermaine started with me in the eighth grade, Justin Robinson started with me in the eighth grade, Arik (Gilbert) started with me in the ninth grade. I love developing kids. I think my knack as a coach is as a developer. I would love to be on the college level to do that. But one thing i’m not going to do is, I have a wife and kids and family. One thing people always say is you have to start at the bottom. I don’t mind starting at the bottom but economically I have a wife and kids to take care of. If the right thing comes along and my family is good with it, I would love to, especially be the receivers coach at Georgia. I would love no more than to be the receivers coach at Georgia.

DawgNation: Last thing and we’ll let you go, how happy were you seeing a smiling Arik Gilbert after the celebration on Saturday? I know that’s a guy you know well. How happy were you to see a guy you know well enjoying himself? We’ll save the conversation of what kind of impact he could make on GEorgia in 2022, but how happy did it make you to see him happy this past weekend?

Edwards: You know what BA for all the things that young man has been through, and I tweeted this, I’m just happy to see that smile again. He appreciates all the true DawgNation fans that prayed for him and gave him his privacy and all the things he needs to work through. I ask DawgNaiton to just continue to pray for this young man. That picture of him smiling, that comes from all the prayers from DawgNation. His family appreciates that, I appreciate that. I told him the other day, ball will come. Just get yourself in a happy place and he’s done that. What he’s going to do on the field we can talk about that later but he is in class fulfilling his academic obligations right now.

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