This is the 20th in a series profiling newcomers on the 2016 Arkansas football team.

Arkansas freshman Deon Edwards is a hard-hitting safety on the football field, but he has a soft spot off of it.

"I don't like meat," said Edwards, who is a vegetarian. "I think it's harsh with what they do to animals, like killing them and how they kill them."

He began a meat-free diet when he was 6 years old, and he said it's a better lifestyle.

"Being a vegetarian is better for me," Edwards said. "I think I put healthier things in my body."

Edwards almost strayed from his vegetarian diet during the spring when he was tempted to eat a cheeseburger while driving in the countryside near his hometown of Clermont, Fla.

"I just drove past some cows, and I just threw the cheeseburger out the window," Edwards said. "I didn't even want it anymore. I was just about ready to take a little bite. That's just how bad it is when I think about animals. I really don't mind being a vegetarian. I love being a vegetarian."

Edwards, 6-1, 205 pounds, 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash, of Clermont (Fla.) Lake Minneola signed with the Hogs over scholarship offers from South Carolina, Missouri, Louisville, North Carolina State, South Florida and several others.

Edwards doesn't mind being a physical and aggressive hitter in the secondary, said Lake Minneola Coach Walter Banks.

"When I took the job, I turned on the film, and I said who ... is this kid knocking people like this," Banks said.

Banks had to slow Edwards down in practice.

"He just knows one speed sometimes in practice," Banks said. "I had to hold him down. I said, 'Deon, you can't be blowing up our starting wide receivers. He's definitely just a high-motor guy."

Edwards desire to play on the major-college level was fueled by his brother, Ishmael Aristide, who played several years at Purdue after signing with the Boilermakers in 2009 as a defensive back.

"I was like 12 at the time," Edwards said. "I was like, 'I want to go play big time college football just like he did.' "

He and his brother might see one another when the Hogs play at Auburn on Oct. 22. Aristide joined the Tigers' staff as a defensive graduate assistant earlier this year.

Edwards was won over by the recruiting of defensive coordinator Robb Smith and his comfort level with Coach Bret Bielema.

Smith attended the Hawks' spring game prior to Edwards' senior season, and he made a return trip with Bielema for a regular-season game.

Edwards noticed Smith stayed the entire spring game.

"Coach Smith was my best recruiter," Edwards said. "I had like five or six schools at that game, and coach Smith was the last one there. I saw him during the game, and he was still on the sidelines still looking at me and that was when I decided, 'Hey, this is probably the school I'm probably going to go to, and coach Smith and I are going to have a great relationship.' That just showed a lot about him."

He recorded 79 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups and an interception as a senior. In his junior and sophomore seasons, he totaled 112 tackles, 8 interceptions, 2 sacks and a forced fumble.

Edwards made an unofficial visit to Fayetteville in June and July of last year, and committed to the Hogs in part because of Bielema's demeanor.

"I feel very comfortable with him," said Edwards, who reported to Fayetteville in early June. "He was one of those coaches that you could tell there's something real about him."

Bielema was upfront with Edwards about playing time and plans for him to get a degree.

"He told me he can't promise I would start and couldn't promise me to be a star, but he can promise me and my parents that I would come out of school with an education," Edwards said. "That really meant something to me because he doesn't just care about football, he cares about me as a person. He wants me to be the best I can be in life."

To say Edwards was impressed by the work of strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert would be an understatement.

"Oh my gosh, he showed me the body transitions when freshmen first come in and how he transforms them," Edwards said. "That just showed me these people are building something here, and I wanted to be a part of it."

Edwards' biggest challenge is being away from his parents for the first time and the demands on his time. Banks said Edwards called him shortly after reporting to Fayetteville.

"He said, 'This is hard, but I'm adjusting to it going to class, going to meetings, going to football and stuff like that,' " Banks said. "He adapted to that real well."

Sports on 08/03/2016