Arizona State took a massive risk by hiring Herm Edwards, and the chief criticism of the former NFL coach is already looking like an issue.
During an appearance on Golic and Wingo (h/t Football Scoop), Edwards seemed surprised at the non-stop nature of recruiting.
“[T]his is almost like professional football when it comes to recruiting kids and evaluating these guys. It’s big. We’re already on the 2019 guys.”
Edwards continued, saying he’s amazed at how recruiting also involves persuading family members in addition to the player.
“I’ll tell you what, now, you’re not only recruiting kids, sometimes you’re trying to recruit the parent too. That’s what amazing. You have to stay in contact with these kids.”
This cannot be comforting to Arizona State fans. And the worst part is the college football world fully expected this problem.
Edwards hasn’t held a full-time coaching job since 2008, and he only has three years of college experience anyway. That stretch happened from 1987-89 with San Jose State, and Edwards spent the next 20 years on NFL sidelines before nine years at ESPN covering the pros.
With nearly 30 years between his last college experience and today, how could he possibly know the intensity of recruiting? That’s why Arizona State’s decision to hire Edwards is incredibly risky.
It’s not entirely fair to say Edwards is destined to fail, but college football followers won’t be quick to argue either. Recruiting is the lifeblood of the sport, and an inability to perform well “on the trail” is hugely detrimental to a program.
Edwards needs to surround himself with outstanding recruiters — and keep in regular contact with a compliance officer. It’s entirely plausible that he doesn’t yet understand the rules of recruiting, particularly with the impact of social media.
If he doesn’t grasp recruiting rapidly, ASU will tumble in the Pac-12.