College career
Edwards accepted a basketball scholarship from the hometown University of Washington, to play under coach Marv Harshman. As a freshman, he took over the starting duties at center, averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. As a sophomore, he registered 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
As a junior in the 1975–76 season, he averaged 17.6 points (led the team) and 7.1 rebounds (second on the team) per game. He also contributed to the team having a 22–6 record, qualifying for the school's first NCAA basketball tournament appearance since 1953 and finishing the regular season ranked No. 11. This was also the last team to defeat (103–81) a John Wooden squad, as the legendary coach would retire after the season, having won his 10th National Championship.
As a senior in the 1976–1977 season, he led the team with 20.9 points and 10.4 rebounds, but the squad failed to qualify for the NCAA basketball tournament with a 17–10 overall record. He received All-American honors. He finished his college career with an average of 14.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
In 1990, he was inducted into the University of Washington Husky Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.