Former Arizona State University HC Herm Edwards’ tenure with the Sun Devils was extremely short-lived. However, it began with hope and a bright upward form of optimism. Sadly, it ended with underwhelming football and a list of off-field issues. All in all, due to the abrupt firing of Herm Edwards there’s been an avid investigation taking place at Arizona State University, reported Pete Thamel for ESPN. After suffering a humiliating loss, not only was he embarrassed in front of the entire school but on national television as well.
Arizona announced Sunday that the school was making a push for “new leadership” by “mutual agreement”, per AD (athletic director) Ray Anderson. Losing to Eastern Michigan at home is a disappointing loss, however, it shouldn’t be the make or break for any coach or team. The most discouraging part of the loss was that it came from the hands of the backup QB.
Sadly, his antics and leadership off the field made more headlines than his coaching ability on the field. During his tenure at Arizona State, he went 26-20 and appeared in one bowl game, which he won, in five years. Within five years, he had the program’s best QB, RB, DL, LB, and top WRs transfer out. Not to mention, the investigation led to a clean sweep of Arizona’s State coaching staff.
Arizona State’s ‘Swing and a Miss’
In 2017, the Sun Devils took a shot on Edwards at the coaching position even though he hadn’t coached college football since 1989. The continuing losses made it hard to make a case for his presence to stay in Arizona. While he’s been let go, the financials of his departure has yet to be disclosed. For the time being, the interim HC is Shaun Aguano who coached the running backs while under Edward’s regime.
Initially, they believed Edwards would attempt to bring the NFL model to help them “operate more innovatively and efficiently than we have in the past,” according to TheSunDevils.com. Yet, he finished with a worse winning percentage than the previous HC Todd Graham. Ray Anderson fired Graham to hire Edwards, unfortunately, they never won more than eight games while he was there.
The NCAA Investigation Brought Upon Arizona State
The status of Arizona State’s NCAA investigation will be a representation of much of the industry scrutiny within college football. Up until this point, the Sun Devils have yet to receive any allegations from the NCAA. Edward’s actions didn’t help, in fact, they brought about investigations. For example, Edwards empowered DC Anontion Pierce while it’s been reported he helped create a culture where rule-breaking became rewarded.
They did Herm dirty.