Armanti Edwards became a household name among college football fans because of his role in Appalachian State's historic upset against Michigan at the start of the 2007 season. And ionically enough, he was named to this year's College Football Hall of Fame class on the same day the Wolverines won the national title.
 
But most of Edwards' favorite memories from his career in Boone speak more to the attitude that helped put the Mountaineers on the map. App State couldn't be a regular Sun Belt Conference contender unless it dominated the way that it did at the FCS level, and Edwards was among the biggest drivers of that success.
 
"Definitely that first title that I was a part of against UMass. That was my first time being a part of a team that finished on top," Edwards said. "Obviously being a part of beating Michigan is a big one. There's just so many games. I have a lot of conference games that are very memorable, rivalry games against Wofford, Georgia Southern. The '07 playoff game against Richmond, and of course my second title, but the — third back-to-back-to-back — against Delaware to finish off the three-peat."
 
Edwards becomes only the second App State player to make the Hall, joining 2011 inductee Dexter Coakley.
 
His four-year career re-wrote school and NCAA record books. He was a First Team All-American all four years, in addition to winning the Walter Payton Award twice. He won two national titles and went 28-2 in conference play.
 
He became the first FBS or FCS player to amass more than 10,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in his career, and his 65 rushing touchdowns are an FCS record for a quarterback.
 
Edwards joins his head coach, Jerry Moore, as a Hall of Famer ('14), as together they helped App State take the college football world by storm.
 
"I had so many supporters and people that have helped me along the way," Edwards said. "Obviously, my wife (Desiree) is one of them. We've been together since my junior year in high school. She made all the games except Michigan and a couple more because she was pregnant with our child at the time."
 
Edwards lives in Charlotte now with his wife and two kids, having retired from the CFL in 2021.
 
That Michigan game will live on — App State's stunning 34-32 win at the Big House over the No. 5 Wolverines ushered in a 2007 college football season that was unlike any other — but it was how he and his teammates handled the accompanying spotlight that truly stuck with Edwards.
 
Everyone on campus suddenly knew all of the players by face and name, regularly stopping them on the way to class. The media horde grew so big that Moore had to designate one day a week for everyone to come for interviews.
 
Still, nothing got in the way of App State's ultimate goal that season: a third straight national title.
 
"Our coaches did a great job of keeping us in-tune and understanding although that is a huge win for us, nobody would have batted an eye if we would have lost," Edwards said. "And if we would have lost, that game had no bearing on our goal for the season, which was to win the conference, get back to the playoffs and win another title, which we were able to accomplish.
 
"It was obviously great exposure for us and the school, but at the same time, once Monday came back around, we had to put Michigan aside and move on to the next opponent."
 
Edwards was taken by the Panthers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, spending four seasons as an NFL receiver before moving on to the CFL. As he takes his rightful place among the game's legends, he looks back on that distinct era of App State football with pride.
 
"It makes you feel more so prideful in showing the rest of the football world that although we were DI-AA, it doesn't matter what size the school is," Edwards said. "We're pretty much all in the same age group playing against each other. It wasn't like we were playing against 25- to 30-year-olds. We were playing against other 18- to 19-year-old kids. And now the world realizes that although this school is in the Big Ten or the SEC and we're a smaller school, you still have to get out there and compete. So, I think it opened up the eyes of the football world to help them realize that it doesn't matter how big the school's program is anymore."
 
ARMANTI EDWARDS: UP CLOSE
 

• Named a First Team All-American four times (2006-09), becoming the first-ever two-time Walter Payton Award winner while leading Appalachian State to two FCS national titles.
• Amassed 14,753 yards of total offense in his career (10,392 passing with 4,361 rushing) and 139 total touchdowns (74 passing with 65 rushing).
• Became the first Division I player in NCAA history with more than 10,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards in a career.
• Played for College Football Hall of Fame coach Jerry Moore.
• Becomes the second App State player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.