Arizona State and Herm Edwards came to a mutual agreement to end his coaching term on Sunday, with athletic director Ray Anderson announcing the decision in a social media post.
Sun Devils players were brought together earlier in the day to be briefed on the school’s decision, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday. Running backs coach Shaun Aguano becomes interim coach.
“We have made the decision to change the leadership of our football program with immediate effect. By mutual agreement, Coach Edwards and I have decided that he will step down from his duties as our head coach.” Anderson wrote:. “At the heart of this is doing what’s best for our current team, staff and university. I understand the frustrations out there. We need to do better and that starts with our decision today.”
The state of Arizona lost 30-21 at home to Eastern Michigan on Saturday night and is in the midst of a key NCAA investigation. The Sun Devils are 1-2 and have lost consecutive games. Last week, the state of Arizona fell at 34-17 in the state of Oklahoma.
Edwards managed to keep his job after an up and down 2021, but his status was shaky all season. The state of Arizona is still awaiting word on potential NCAA sanctions for allegedly hosting recruits on campus during an NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period in 2020.
Edwards, a former NFL coach, was considered an unconventional appointment when he was urged by university presidents Michael Crow and Anderson to lead the mediocre program. Anderson, a former NFL agent, represented Edwards during his coaching days with the New York Jets.
Edwards spent the previous nine years as an NFL TV analyst and hadn’t been a college coach since he was San Jose State’s defensive back coach from 1987 to 1989.
The talkative coach changed the story during his first few seasons in Tempe and proved to be an adept recruiter as he led the Sun Devils to two straight bowl appearances. The goodwill did not last.
Arizona State was hit hard by COVID-19 during the delayed 2020 season, finishing 2-2. The Sun Devils opened the 2021 season 5-1 before suffering consecutive ugly losses and giving up 56 straight points over Utah and Washington state.
Edwards would be in the hot seat at the end of the season, but Anderson said he would remain as coach after a lopsided win over rival Arizona.
The state of Arizona had an exodus of players and coaches during the off-season, losing five assistant coaches, 11 players drafted or signed by NFL teams, and numerous key players on the transfer portal. Edwards rebuilt the Sun Devils primarily through the transfer portal and added 43 new players to the roster.
On Saturday-evening, in the second home game of the season in the state of Arizona, Eastern Michigan (2-1), of the Mid-American Conference, was never behind. It was the Eagles’ first win over a Pac-12 team.
Eastern Michigan scored on four of its five possessions in the first half, with only one interception stopping the eastern attack. Arizona State, meanwhile, only fell behind late in the first quarter, when the Sun Devils were already trailing 10-0.
“It came down to one thing: we couldn’t stop them from running the football,” Edwards said after the loss. “They came after us physically, on both sides of the ball. We have to find a way to fix it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
#investigation #start #Edwards #ASU