Arizona State University drew plenty of skepticism when it hired Herm Edwards to become the head football coach. Just two years later, the Sun Devils have emerged as one of the top teams in the Pac-12 and NFL teams might be kicking themselves for years to come.
Edwards, who last coached from 2006-’08 with the Kansas City Chiefs, instantly started to make his mark at Arizona State upon his arrival. The Sun Devils went 7-6 in the first season, but Edwards started bringing in exciting, young talent to build his program around. A year later, Edwards and Jayden Daniels led the program to its first bowl win since 2014.
After seeing how quickly he turned around Arizona State, a handful of NFL teams likely took notice of Edwards’ success. Any hopes of Edwards going back to the NFL were dashed on Tuesday when Edwards revealed to The Jim Rome Show that this will be his last coaching job at any level.
“I’m in a really good place and I’m gonna give them some candidates when they call me and it won’t be me,” Herm Edwards said, via The Jim Rome Show. “This is my last job. You’re gonna be talking to me for the next five years. This is my last job.”
It’s hard to blame Edwards for loving the situation he’s in. He took over a program that Todd Graham left in pieces and has helped build it into one of the best teams in the conference. Now with Daniels under center and a top-25 recruiting class coming in, the Sun Devils are headed for an even brighter future.
Of course, Edwards won’t hang up when an NFL team calls him. On a staff headlined by former NFL players Antonio Pierce and Kevin Mawae, along with former NFL coach Marvin Lewis, he’ll help provide a great list of candidates. While it’s a shame we won’t get to see Edwards back on an NFL sideline, he has found a home mentoring young student-athletes and helping make them better players and people.