Albert Lea grad signs to play football at University of Sioux Falls

Edwin hopes to eventually play for the NFL

By Josephine Petersen

Sports are a popular activity, both to watch and participate in. Many people dream of making sports their career, and Albert Lea native Max Edwin is no different.

Having finished one major achievement, graduating high school in 2023, Edwin is moving onto even bigger stages in life by signing a Division II offer from the University of Sioux Falls.

At the age of 6, Edwin started playing football not knowing what it would turn into.

“A few of my childhood friends played in Alden and they played tackle football, and I started out playing flag football with the YMCA and then they persuaded me to finally join tackle football in fourth grade, and ever since then I’ve just fell in love with the game,” Edwin said.

Thanks to those friends, Edwin was able to discover what he considers his passion.

Playing a sport for the majority of your life takes a lot of motivation and for Edwin that motivation was his friends.

“Working hard with my best friends, we’ve all played the game for so long,” he said. “Going out to our local park every summer day playing together and just having fun doing it.”

While football is one of the most well loved games out there, it’s not the only one Edwin enjoys. As a multi-sport athlete it likely wasn’t easy deciding what game to focus on.

“I’ve always loved hockey as well,” he said. “That’s always been one of my main sports, and then kinda when I hit high school, football really just fell in love with me, and I fell in love with the game, too. I figured that was my best chance to go far in college.”

There’s more to it, though, than just picking the sport that can get him far in college. Edwin said he has always had a dream of playing college football, and his hopes are to further his career after college and play in the NFL one day.

Originally, Edwin had been thinking about signing with Minnesota State University, Mankato, but the world had different plans for him.

“This winter, I had a tryout with Mankato, and it didn’t really go as planned. They didn’t really have a roster spot opportunity for me,” Edwin said. “So I looked for other options, and this spring I got a really good text from Sioux Falls, and they invited me out to their campus and gave me an offer, and I took it.”

Edwin’s waiting paid off. Instead of giving up after Mankato didn’t work out, he kept going and kept trying. All the effort he put in paid off once Sioux Falls contacted him.

“From being in Albert Lea — our football teams haven’t really been good for years,” he said. “We don’t get a lot of notice down here. So that was probably the hardest part.”
Edwin has spent his years working hard in the gym and weight rooms while also breaking records on the field.

“I broke multiple records in the Minnesota State High School record book. I am tied for third for the most receptions in a game and tied for sixth in the most receiving yards in a game.”

During 2022, Edwin broke two records: one for 14 receptions in one game and the other for 251 receiving yards in a game. These achievements show how his hard work paid off.
While Edwin has already achieved a lot in his football career, it’s nowhere close to done for him.

“It’s just starting,” he said. “This is a huge part of my life and I’m ready for it, I’m excited.”

Edwin has a long journey before him, but he isn’t willing to stop now.

Edwin shared advice for people striving to reach big goals as well: “Never give up, just persevere through anything that comes ahead of you. Don’t ever take no as an answer, just keep on working.”

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