Arizona Fifth season after firing football coach Herm Edwards after ugly home defeat eastern michigan And the NCAA investigation into illegal recruitment practices is lingering.
Arizona Athletic Director Ray Anderson announced the decision Sunday, a day after the Sun Devils lost 30-21 to Eastern Michigan in the Mid-American Conference.
Edwards is 46-26 at Arizona State and is 1-2 this season.
“We have made a decision to change the leadership of our football program, which will be effective immediately,” Anderson said in a statement. At the heart of this is what’s best for the current team, staff and university, I understand the frustration there is, we have to do it, it’s It starts with today’s decision.”
Edwards managed to keep the job after the ups and downs of 2021, but another volatile loss saw him fire three games into the season. Arizona is still awaiting word on possible NCAA sanctions for accepting recruits on campus during his NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period in 2020.
Former NFL head coach Edwards was seen as an unconventional hire when he was approached by Crowe and Anderson to lead a half-baked program. A former NFL agent, Anderson represented Edwards while he was playing for the New York Jets.
Edwards has spent the past nine years as an NFL TV analyst and coached the defensive backs at San Jose State University from 1987-89, and has not been a college coach since.
The talkative coach changed the narrative in his first few seasons at Tempe, proving himself to be an accomplished recruiter while leading the Sun Devils to two straight bowl appearances.
The goodwill did not last long.
Arizona State University was hit hard by COVID-19 during the postponement of the 2020 season, finishing 2-2. The Sun Devils opened his 2021 season with his 5-1 record, giving Utah and Washington State his 56th consecutive points and suffering back-to-back ugly losses.
Edwards was thought to be at a disadvantage late in the season, but Anderson said he would stay on as coach after a one-sided victory over rivals Arizona.
Arizona State had a player and coach drain during the offseason, with five assistant coaches, players drafted or signed by 11 NFL teams, and a number of key players leaked to the transfer portal.
Edwards rebuilt the Sun Devils, primarily through a transfer portal, adding 43 new players to the roster.
The Sun Devils started the season predictably with a comfortable win over FCS opponent Northern Arizona, playing well in Oklahoma State’s 8th place before losing 34-17 in the second half.
Arizona State hoped to rectify itself against Eastern Michigan, but fell flat against a 20 1/2 point underdog at home. The Sun Devils stopped the Eagles defensively unable to do so, plagued with significant penalties, becoming the first Pac-12 school to lose to a MAC school.
“I’ve been talking about it all week, so I’m probably more disappointed than anyone else,” Edwards said Saturday night. It’s like saying ‘And we did. ”
Reported by Associated Press.
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