New Reality: Anderson reflects on Edwards’ tenure, lays out coaching search
Since the beginning of the 2018 season, now former head football coach Herm Edwards and President Michael Crow, and Athletic Director Ray Anderson have briefly met on the field following each game. Their meeting on Saturday night following the downright embarrassing loss to Eastern Michigan proved to be the last. Edwards “relinquished his duties” with the program early Sunday afternoon, ending a tumultuous tenure that never prospered to what was promised.
The loss was the final nail in an already sealed coffin for Herm Edwards. It was only a matter of when. Running backs coach Shaun Aguano has been tabbed as the interim head coach and will serve as such for the remainder of the season.
“Coach Herm Edwards and I met last night, and then we met again this morning. We determined, mutually, that it was appropriate for Herm to step away from his duties as the head coach of Sun Devil football,” Anderson said. “There has been a pattern; unfortunately, that when some of the major opportunities were presented, we did not step up and perform at the level we all desired in terms of taking advantage of these opportunities.”
Anderson wouldn’t go into specifics regarding what was said during his brief exchange with Edwards after the game. He did touch on the talking points of their longer conversation that took place following the game and earlier Sunday morning. Both parties seemed to determine that when it’s time, it’s time.
“Herm and I have known each other for a long time, and we’ve never sugar-coated anything. We were both very disappointed with the performance last night. The lack of determination and energy, and urgency, that was something we both had to acknowledge. When you get to that point, you have to ask yourself, will you be able to turn it around? It’s hard to do, and maybe it’s just time for a change.”
The move is certainly warranted, but some believe it should have come sooner. When Anderson hired Edwards, his close personal friend, at the end of the 2017 season, the two were joined at the hip. It took a series of unfortunate events, and ultimately a home loss to a pay-to-play opponent, for Anderson to finally rip off the band-aid.
“It’s the toughest day of my professional career, no doubt about it, to have to separate from Herm Edwards,” Anderson said. “I’ve been looking all offseason and certainly in these first few weeks for hope, and for additional discipline and stepping up in the bright moments and really delivering. Some of that was not occurring. Just not making big plays in big moments. At the end of the day, no matter what you say, the head coach is responsible for developing a culture where those things happen. When you don’t you have to be prepared to make tough decisions and move on.”
The move-on process will begin with haste. Arizona State football has had its fair share of breakups on smaller levels over the last 18 months, with a crowded outgoing transfer portal making headlines much of the offseason. Now, a true rebuild is imminent; if not completely based on results, it will be one based on branding. Anderson’s message was clear, he and the powers that be have to hire someone who is prepared to keep up with all aspects of the modern college game.
“Those things will be determined, I will certainly be involved, but right now we’re focused on right now. That search will be a national search; I anticipate it will be exhaustive because I know there will be great interest in the position,” Anderson explained when asked about the timeline of the search for a new coach. “Very frankly, Shaun Aguano will have a chance to be considered depending on how the rest of the season goes. We will be looking to have a fit with someone who is probably going to be a little more in tune with the evolving change and landscape in college athletics. You gotta have someone that is willing to take all of that additional change on. You gotta have that energy, that spirit, and the youth to deal with that new greed if you will.”
When Edwards was hired, lofty expectations were assigned to his tenure. Anderson was prepared to answer any questions that addressed those five-year-old, poorly aged promises of wanting a Top15 program in Tempe.
Absolutely, we’ve made strides certainly on the academic front. And also in training and development. But we haven’t made nearly the strides we aspired to, or that we anticipated,” he said. “I’ll be deeply involved; it’s to be determined whether we will use a committee or a search firm.”
Edwards will be the only departing piece for now.
“All the coaches we anticipate staying in their current roles. I think everybody is understanding that we have nine games, and hopefully a 10th game if we pull it all together. They’re rolling up their sleeves to support this team,” Anderson said. “Shaun Aguona has everyone’s respect, and they want him to be successful and help this team be successful for what we have remaining in the conference season.
Anderson was asked about the impending NCAA investigation a number of times throughout the press conference, each time in a different manner. Predictably, he was tight-lipped.
I’m not going to discuss the open investigation; that’s what I’ve been advised,” he said. “I’m going to tell you again; I’m not commenting on the investigation and how it impacts us. I’m not talking about the investigation.”
Under normal circumstances, the Arizona State head coaching job would be a very highly coveted position. It still will be heavily sought after, of course, but perhaps not to the degree, it would be if the program were looking at a clean slate. Anderson maintained that the job will be highly competitive and mapped out what he imagines the new head coach will have to be like.
“There are a lot of folks who think this is a very coveted job. There’s a lot of interest. I don’t think I would agree that it’s going to be any more difficult; there’s an understanding that if you’re going to come in and be a college head coach in football and men’s basketball, you have to be ready and willing to deal with transfer portal and NIL, and all the other things. There’s going to be a more intellectual, or more business-type, head coaching candidate coming in. I don’t know, but I think there’s going to be a different set of characteristics that are going to come through some of these coaches.”
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