Update II: It appears that meeting went well. Arizona State will reportedly name Herm Edwards its new coach at a press conference scheduled for Monday morning, according to AZ Central's Doug Haller. Edwards has not coached in college in nearly thirty years and has been off the sideline for almost a full decade. The Sun Devils are reportedly planning to retain much of their staff from under former coach Todd Graham. Current Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson used to represent Edwards when Anderson was an NFL agent.
For more on Edwards' background and what has led to him reportedly taking this ASU job, keep on reading below.
Update: Not only will Herm Edwards officially meet with Arizona State officials about the job over the weekend, he is expected to accept it pending approval from ASU president Dr. Michael Crow. According to 247Sports, Edwards is not interviewing until the weekend because Crow is presently in China and that is the earliest he can get back. However, athletic director Ray Anderson is already sold on Edwards, and Crow simply needs to give his "final approval" on hiring the 63-year-old ESPN analyst and former NFL head coach.
SOURCE: Arizona State wants OC Billy Napier to stay with Herm Edwards as HC. Napier will run the offense and will have substantial input in the operation from top to bottom. Keeping him was a priority for ASU after the work he did this year.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 30, 2017
For more on the potential Edwards-Arizona State union, be sure to head on over to 247Sports' Sun Devil Source.
Original story
Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson set lofty goals for the program's next head coach in his statements to the media after Todd Graham was relieved of his duties on Sunday. While former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin was a name mentioned in the immediate aftermath of Graham's dismissal, the search for the next Sun Devils coach took an interesting turn on Tuesday.
Multiple outlets are reporting that former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards has emerged as a "strong candidate" for the Arizona State job. Edwards told ESPN's Adam Schefter that he will indeed interview for the job this weekend.
ESPN analyst Herm Edwards will be interviewing for the Arizona State head coaching job this weekend, he confirmed.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 28, 2017
Edwards' last coaching gig was in 2008 with the Kansas City Chiefs and he has not been in college since 1989 when he was a defensive backs coach for San Jose State. According to FootballScoop, Anderson's plan for hiring Edwards includes keeping many of the current assistants, including offensive coordinator Billy Napier and defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, in place and hoping that the 63-year-old coach can elevate the program to Pac-12 championship contention.
