Herm Edwards: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Currently a divisive figure in college athletics, Herm Edwards’ hiring in 2017 was full of promise.

After six seasons of Todd Graham at the helm, Arizona State decided to go a different direction in December of 2017. They hired Herm Edwards, a former NFL head coach and TV football analyst, to take over the program and implement a new leadership system that was supposed to guide ASU to the top of the Pac-12.

What has happened since then is very confusing. Is it all bad? No, ASU has had consistent winning records. Is it all good? Absolutely not. The Sun Devils have yet to take a leap into the upper echelons of the college football world.

After four seasons in charge, Edwards has compiled a 25-18 record. The Sun Devils have finished as high as second in the Pac-12 South and third place in both 2019 and 2021.

Famously, one of Edwards’ main selling points was the concept of bringing the structure of NFL management to the college world. In other words, running ASU’s football program like a General Manager. In one regard this pro-system has been successful. Nine Sun Devils have been drafted under his management and ASU is gaining a decent reputation as a school that prepares young players for the next level.

At the same time, NCAA allegations of improper recruiting practices have damaged the program’s reputation. So far Edwards has weathered the storm that resulted from the NCAA investigation, but most of his staff members did not survive. Arizona State will head into the 2022 season with new offensive and defensive coordinators.

Regardless of how fans feel, Herm Edwards is still the coach of Arizona State Sun Devils. Let’s quickly go through the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of his ASU career to this point.

The Good of Herm Edwards

Take a step back for a moment and disregard the current negativity surrounding the Arizona State football program.

Remember that late November game in 2019? Oregon had traveled to Tempe riding waves of good feeling and was ranked #6 in the nation behind QB Justin Herbert. Jayden Daniels went crazy for over 400 yards and 3 touchdowns to surprise a team rumored as a College Football Playoff contender.

Edwards’ teams have a winning record against ranked competition. Since 2018, ASU has gone 6-5 in matchups against ranked opponents. They have also appeared in the AP Top 25 poll for 11 weeks over those four years with the highest ranking in Week 7 at #17.

As mentioned, Edwards does have a winning record, 25-18, and has led his teams to 3 bowl games.

The Bad of Herm Edwards

While Edwards might have led his team to 3 bowl game appearances, they have gone 1-2 in those bouts. In fact, ASU has not won a bowl game since 2019 when they defeated Florida State in the Sun Bowl.

A defensive-minded coach, Edwards seems to have put more effort into defense which has largely paid off with productive front sevens and secondaries being a marker of his tenure so far. The drawback to this approach, however, has been spotty quarterback play.

Jayden Daniels outperformed expectations his freshman season but slowly lost his forward momentum over the next two years. No longer with the program (transferred to LSU), ASU will have to put their hopes on Florida transfer Emory Jones to play at a high level.

While he has had some former wide receivers drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, namely N’Keal Harry and Brandon Aiyuk, no Herm Edwards quarterback has been deemed worthy yet of making that jump. An ASU QB has not been drafted since Brock Osweiler in 2012.

The Ugly of Herm Edwards

Now, the ugly. It would be hard here to not address the pending NCAA allegations against the Arizona State football program.

VP of Athletics Ray Anderson has so far stood by his man, giving no indication that Edwards is on the proverbial chopping block. In fact, on multiple occasions, he has doubled down on his position regarding the head coach.

The allegations arose from evidence that ASU was flouting NCAA guidelines on recruiting during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two senior members of Edwards’ staff have since resigned and have been replaced by new offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas and defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson.

Regardless of who in the program openly disregarded these safety rules, Herm Edwards is the head coach. The buck is supposed to stop with him and the ultimate responsibility for any wrongdoing is his as well.

The potential issues facing the program go beyond transfers and potential postseason bans. The Sword of Damocles currently hanging over this team seems to have severely hampered ASU’s recruiting efforts. The class of 2023 only has three commits. In-state rival, the University of Arizona, has over 20.

Without this issue resolved, one that should never have been a problem if Edwards had been doing his job properly, the future of the Arizona State program is very much up in the air.