I Follow: Brad Edwards
Editor’s note: I Follow is all about ESPN employees on Twitter: what they tweet, whom they follow and how you can interact socially with anyone and everyone.
With the Discover BCS National Championship Game between No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Alabama unfolding tonight in Miami (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio & ESPN 3D), ESPN college football insider Brad Edwards will be busy as always.
The network’s resident BCS expert joins Ryen Russillo and Trevor Matich for today’s special 2-1/2-hour edition of College GameDay on ESPN Radio at 4 p.m.
Front Row asked Alabama grad Edwards, who works for ESPN’s Statistics & Information Group, how he engages with fans on Twitter, what surprised him most this season and more.
Twitter handle: @JBradEdwards
Following: 24*
Followers: 27,281*
*As of Jan. 7, 2013
In what ways has Twitter most affected your job?
I have a lot of good information that doesn’t have a place in my ESPN Insider articles. Twitter is ideal for sharing it with people who are interested in notes, stats and trends related to college football. It helps me get more of my info to the fans.
What’s been your favorite Twitter interaction?
Nothing with a specific person. I enjoy interacting with emotional college football fans who aren’t capable of having rational discussions about their teams. Comments from delusional fans are generally entertaining to everyone. And I appreciate those people, because their love for sports is the reason ESPN exists.
How often do you and Rece Davis trade Crimson Tide glory days stories?
Our college days didn’t quite overlap, so when we do talk Alabama, it’s almost always about the current team. But as much as we love our school, when you cover the sport and get to know the coaches and players for many other teams, it’s hard to keep a strong allegiance to one.
You were an undergrad at Alabama when it won the 1992 national championship. How does that team compare to any of the great Crimson Tide squads under Nick Saban?
That team had an exceptional defense and just enough offense to win, but it wasn’t nearly as talented as the Alabama teams of the last four years. Very few opponents are physically capable of competing with Saban’s teams for four quarters, whereas that 1992 team made a lot of games interesting.
What was the most surprising development of the college football season?
Notre Dame, without a doubt. I wasn’t sure we’d ever see them play for the national championship again, and because of the previous 15 years, it took about half the season to accept that the Irish defense was legitimately good. Even then, most people still expected them to lose a couple of games.
