Herm Edwards’ rise and fall at Arizona State: Inside the Sun Devils’ failed experiment
New York TimesTEMPE, Ariz. — Months before Ray Anderson fired Todd Graham in 2017, the Arizona State vice president of athletics told trusted colleagues that he already had the next Sun Devils football coach in mind. Even so, Edwards built momentum, molding his program around the slogan “Words and Actions.” Arizona State long has been considered a “sleeping giant,” a polite way of saying it has underachieved in football. Former defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales once said that he hated traveling with Edwards because people in airports always recognized and stopped the Arizona State head coach, making the rush to the gate even longer. One former athletic department staffer referred to Pierce as Arizona State’s head coach and to Edwards as the face of the program. During a recruiting meeting, Edwards once told his staff, “What AP says, I’m saying, so listen to AP and do what he says.” Those who objected often were told to “stay in your lane.” After going 8-5 in Year 2 under Edwards, Arizona State was poised to contend for a Pac-12 South title in 2020.
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