Most college signing ceremonies for football happen in the signee’s high school.
Nazareth’s Peyton Falzone and Marquez Wimberly had ceremonies last week in their schools to commit to Penn State and Sacramento State, respectively. Freedom’s Daniel Schiffert also had a ceremony to sign on the dotted line to attend Liberty University.
But Emmaus defensive standout Robert Edwards had his signing ceremony in his Macungie home, surrounded by his family.
It was a fitting place and way for Edwards to stage one of the biggest moments of his life because his family has been so important on his journey. He is headed to the University of Richmond, where he will compete in the Patriot League against Lehigh and Lafayette, who have combined to win the last three league championships.
“This night means the world to me,” said the 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive lineman. “My whole family being here, everyone I love being here, is so special. I didn’t know so many people cared this much about me. I’m just so excited to start this journey.”
Edwards was a force on defense for three seasons for Emmaus. In 2024, he was the EPC’s defensive player of the year after he made 92 tackles, including 62 solo stops, six sacks and 23 tackles for loss. He was a big reason why Emmaus went on a seven-game winning streak that carried the Green Hornets to the EPC’s Lehigh County Division title and the District 11 6A title game. He was also selected to the PIAA Class 6A all-state team by the Pennsylvania Football Writers.
In 2025, with a lot of new faces around him, Edwards got a steady diet of double and triple teams from opponents. He fought through that extra attention to register 84 tackles, including five sacks, and he battling even though the Green Hornets scuffled through a 4-7 season.
“It was hard taking all of the losses, but I learned that going through adversity and fighting through the adversity made me better,” Edwards said. “My dad always tells me that no matter what happens, you’ve got to get through it. You’ve got to prevail through the hardships. It was tough to lose as much as we did in my senior year, but at the same time, I am proud of the young guys who stepped up. We had a lot of sophomores and they’re going to be pretty good next year. They’re going to be a sleeper team. I believe in them. Things just didn’t go our way this year, and you have to get over it and move on and get ready for the next level.”
The season ended with a playoff loss at Easton.
“Everybody knew how good they were this year, and we had to play them at Cottingham, which is always hard, but at the same time, it’s my favorite place to play because of the atmosphere,” Edwards said. “We went into that game expecting to win. Obviously, we didn’t, but we kept up the energy all season. That was Week 11, but no one had their heads down. We had a great game plan, and we played well on defense, and that’s a testament to coach [Harold] Fairclough and the rest of the coaching staff because we all kept working.”
Fairclough, who won a state title as a player at Allentown Central Catholic in 1993 and another as Vikings head coach in 2010, said Edwards is headed in the right direction.
“We’re hoping that he continues to grow mentally, physically and in every aspect, and locks in on what he needs to do to get better as a player,” Fairclough said. “We think he will. We’re proud of them. Rob is a competitor, and he played at a high level no matter what was going on around him. We try to prepare our guys for the next level and prepare them on how to work all the time. I have no doubt that when he leaves us and gets down there, he’s going to be prepared. He has learned a lot. It hasn’t been the smoothest road, but he’ll grow, develop and blossom, and I can’t wait to see what he does down there.”
Edwards always wanted to be a Division I athlete. He was inspired by members of his family, such as Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman, who played basketball at the University of Michigan and reached the NCAA championship game. Ray Barbosa, a former Division I player and the boys basketball coach at Executive Education, is also in the family, as is Eugene Clay, who played football at Villanova. His uncle, Obe Roundtree, was a football player at Pitt. He was also influenced by former Division III All-American and current Allen coach Darnell Braswell, former Lehigh standout and current ACCHS assistant Matt Cohen, and many others.
His father, Robert, was a standout basketball player for John Donmoyer at Allen, and his grandfather, Robert, was a former Dieruff High athlete and popular personality in the community.
Robert III was born in 2007 and never knew his grandfather, who was killed on Christmas Day 2006 in an Allentown shooting, but he carries his grandfather’s spirit and zest for life with him. He has a photo of his grandfather with the caption, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”
“Family is everything to me, and they have been with me every step of the way,” he said. “In my freshman year of high school, we went to a Rutgers football game, and they were playing Michigan. I realized that was what I wanted to do. I also remember that at the end of junior year, we lost in the district title game to that team in red [Parkland], and it was heartbreaking. But my dad told me, it’s not the end, it’s only the beginning. I have so many people in my family who have done amazing things, and I have looked up to them, and now I am proud to be in their shoes as I start my journey at Richmond.”
Family and friends will be at the Spiders’ games.
“Rob is a special kid,” said Britt Kohli, a longtime family friend and a former Allen girls basketball coach who is now a therapist. “He is carrying on the legacy of his grandfather and taking the family name to new heights. December is an extra emotional month for the family, being that it was on Christmas when they lost Rob’s grandfather. So, this is a special moment that brings it full circle to start a new chapter for the family.”
Edwards is not done competing for Emmaus quite yet. He is a member of the boys basketball team, and even though the Green Hornets are off to a 1-4 start, Edwards is determined to help the team turn things around.
“Coach [Eric] Luckenbill is a great coach, but we have a very young team this year,” he said. “There are a couple of sophomores in the rotation. I just want to be a mentor and a good locker room guy. I know it’s hard right now, but I tell them that they have so much potential. They just have to keep working.”
