Arizona State hiring Herm Edwards a step in the wrong direction for program

Arizona State’s surprising hire of Herm Edwards as their next head coach could have long-term negative ramifications for the program

In perhaps the most surprising hire of the college football coaching carousel to date, the Arizona State Sun Devils have hired ESPN analyst and former NFL head coach Herm Edwards to replace the recently-fired Todd Graham. The hiring of Edwards has now become the signature moment of athletic director Ray Anderson’s tenure at the university and unfortunately for Sun Devil fans and alumni such as myself, it could very well set the program back significantly.

Tension with Todd Graham

It’s no secret that Anderson and the recently-fired Todd Graham weren’t on the best of terms, but they miraculously managed to keep things from blowing up en route to a surprising 7-5 finish and the upcoming bowl appearance. After deciding at the end of last season that his contract wouldn’t be extended, Graham’s seat was certainly hot, but some felt he showed enough progress amid injury and high coaching turnover that he deserved one more season at the helm.

Anderson, however, clearly did not feel this sentiment.

Though the decision in itself to part ways with Graham was not a shock, it was still somewhat surprising given the team’s record and emotional high coming off a victory to end the year over rival Arizona in the Territorial Cup. Graham came to Arizona State with perhaps the most coaching baggage of anyone in the country after a swift and unceremonious exit from Pitt, but he managed to engineer an impressive turnaround over his six seasons. The Sun Devil program was a mess from top to bottom following the departure of living dinosaur Dennis Erickson, and Graham was able to do a solid job of righting the ship.

Academic performance steadily increased under Graham’s leadership and off-the-field and on-field discipline were vastly improved from the Erickson days. Not only that, but Graham and his wife pumped their own money directly into the program and were at the forefront of helping ASU secure some of their most recent upgrades to its football facilities.

Vision for the future

At a press conference discussing Graham’s dismissal, Ray Anderson appeared to be open and honest about his vision for the future of Sun Devil football. No longer would they accept middling 7-5 records. They wanted to be playing for conference championships, not Sun Bowl championships.

Anderson also made a point to mention that the lack of development of NFL talent within the program was unacceptable. Arizona State had just one player selected in the 2017 NFL Draft (kicker Zane Gonzalez), and it’s clear that Anderson saw this as an issue that wasn’t going to get any better under Todd Graham.

Another key takeaway from the press conference was Anderson’s desire to bring in a strong recruiting presence, particularly in California and Texas. Despite Graham’s strong ties to the state of Texas, he was never able to gain a solid recruiting footing in the state during his tenure, constantly having to fight for players with top in-state programs in addition to a number of SEC teams. The Sun Devils find themselves geographically between the two elite recruiting grounds of California and Texas, but Anderson clearly felt Graham was not bringing in enough of the blue-chip talent from these areas. To make matters even worse, UCLA’s hire of Chip Kelly and Texas A&M landing Jimbo Fisher adds, even more, pressure on the Sun Devils’ difficult recruiting situation.

“Like a business”

One particular line from Anderson’s press conference that struck me was when he mentioned how he was aiming to run the Arizona State program “like a business.” He elaborated that sometimes, you have to realize when your investment won’t be making you any more money and be able to cut ties and move forward.

But Anderson appears to be basing his hire of Herm Edwards on another, much uglier tenant of the business world: helping your friends even when it’s not the right decision.

Next: 50 best college football stadiums

As a former agent for NFL coaches, Anderson threw a bone to his former client in a critical moment for the Arizona State program. It’s a decision that was likely in the works for months, allowing the team and its coaching staff to spin its collective wheels while Anderson plotted his future hire.

In hiring Edwards, Anderson brings in a head coach with not only zero collegiate head coaching experience, but one who has not coached in any capacity since 2008. Optimists will point to the similar backlash USC initially received in hiring Pete Carroll (who also had no prior collegiate head coaching experience) in 2001, but Carroll was still just one year removed from his last coaching gig with the Patriots.

To add insult to insult, Anderson’s perceived transparency has gotten more complicated after preaching in his presser that prior head coaching experience in college was a priority in the search, when it clearly was not a factor. According to Devils Digest, Anderson didn’t even bother showing up to the team’s year-end banquet, where Graham received a standing ovation.

The wrong path

As an Arizona State alumnus, I hope more than anything that the program enjoys sustained success. I hope that the College Football Playoff becomes “The Arizona State Championship Tournament” and that the Territorial Cup becomes permanently planted in the halls of Sun Devil Stadium.

Sometimes, though, hope is not an appropriate substitute for reality.

Will Edwards use his commanding presence as a motivational speaker to take the Sun Devils to new heights on the recruiting trail? Maybe. But maybe high school players will connect more with a coach in Westwood just six years removed from playing for a national title than a 63-year-old television analyst whose last season as a coach ended with a 2-14 record.

Can Edwards help improve stability on the coaching staff better than Graham did in recent years? Maybe. But maybe the path to potential head coaching gigs will be too good to pass up for coaches like offensive coordinator Billy Napier, leaving Edwards with no clear or relevant coaching tree to pick from at the collegiate level.

Are Pac-12 championships a legitimate expectation with Edwards now at the helm? Maybe. But maybe Edwards’ failure to ever reach a conference championship game in his tenure as a head coach in the NFL will leave the Sun Devils stuck in the same bowl tier Anderson is so desperate to climb out of.

Moving forward

Whether or not you supported the long-term prospects of Graham, it’s hard to argue that replacing him with Edwards isn’t a significant step back for the program. To complete their stated goal of winning championships on the field and recruiting trail, ASU will have to live up to its reputation of being number one in innovation and then some.

Despite Graham’s best intentions to move the program forward, it was all for naught in the end. Anderson had his mind made up for months and ignored the wishes of many Sun Devil fans and players, bringing in an old pal who meets almost none of his stated requirements for the future of the program.

College football continues to be a brutal, results-driven environment and Anderson will need Herm Edwards to win and he’ll need to do it quickly.

His job and the future of the Sun Devil football program depend on it.