Awkward moment Arizona State coach Herm Edwards is confronted by school brass as he walks off after upset loss to Eastern Michigan... only to agree to step aside the next day amid 1-2 start and NCAA probe into alleged recruiting violations

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Arizona State and head football coach Herm Edwards have mutually agreed to part ways following the Sun Devils' disastrous upset loss to Eastern Michigan on Saturday. The program is 1-2 on the season and facing an NCAA probe into alleged recruiting violations. 

Sunday's news was a forgone conclusion to anyone who saw Edwards, the former New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs head coach, getting confronted by Athletic Director Ray Anderson and school president Michael Crow on Saturday as he walked off the field following the 20-21 loss. 

The conversation appeared to be cordial and neither party seemed angry, but Edwards appeared to be resigned to his fate. 

'I've heard of getting tarmac'd but I think Herm is the first coach I've seen to get end zone'd,' tweeted one Georgia Bulldogs blogger. 

Arizona State coach Herm Edwards looks toward the scoreboard with his team his down against Eastern Michigan during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday

The conversation appeared to be cordial and neither party seemed angry, but Edwards appeared to be resigned to his fate. 'I've heard of getting tarmac'd but I think Herm is the first coach I've seen to get end zone'd,' tweeted one Georgia Bulldogs blogger

Anderson made a calculated gamble in hiring a football coach five years ago, one that earned the school a national mocking.

He hoped Edwards, despite no head college coaching experience and nine years in a television studio, would give the program the jolt it needed, usher it into a new era through an NFL-like leadership model.

Edwards managed to quiet many of the critics with some early wins on the field and recruiting trail.

When ugly losses piled up and an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations lingered, Anderson decided to make a change.

Arizona State and Edwards mutually agreed to part ways Sunday, a day after the Sun Devils lost 30-21 to Eastern Michigan of the Mid-American Conference as heavy home favorites.

'I don't regret at all because I believed it was the right thing to do then,' Anderson said. 'But I also believe that when you come to a point where you realize that you're not always right, and perhaps it's not working at the level you want and you don't have the patience to wait because the world is changing really fast out there, then you make changes. That's what we've done.'

Edwards managed to hold onto his job after an up-and-down 2021, but another shaky loss led to his firing three games into his fifth season. Arizona State is still awaiting word on possible NCAA sanctions for allegedly hosting recruits on campus during an NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period in 2020.

Edwards went 46-26 at Arizona State, including 1-2 this season and 17-14 in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils never won more than eight games in a season under Edwards and fell short of Anderson's goal of playing in major bowl games.

Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson (pictured) made a calculated gamble in hiring a football coach five years ago, one that earned the school a national mocking. He hoped Herm Edwards, despite no head college coaching experience and nine years in a TV studio, would give the program the jolt it needed, usher it into a new era through an NFL-like leader

Running backs coach Shaun Aguano will serve as interim coach.

The Sun Devils begin Pac-12 play next with three ranked teams: No. 13 Utah at home Saturday, followed by No. 7 Southern California and No. 18 Washington.

'Our future begins now and our responsibility is to try to infuse new energy, new urgency into the program,' Anderson said.

Edwards, a former NFL head coach, was considered an unconventional hire when he was tapped by University President Michael Crow and Anderson to lead the middling program. A former NFL agent, Anderson represented Edwards during his playing days with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Edwards spent the nine previous years as an NFL TV analyst and had not been a college coach since serving as San Jose State's defensive backs coach from 1987-89.

The loquacious coach changed the narrative his first few seasons in Tempe, proving to be an adept recruiter while leading the Sun Devils to two straight bowl appearances.

Edwards managed to quiet many of the critics with some early wins on the field and recruiting trail. When ugly losses piled up and an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations lingered, Anderson decided to make a change

The goodwill didn't last.

Arizona State was hit hard by COVID-19 during the delayed 2020 season, finishing 2-2. The Sun Devils opened the 2021 season 5-1 before suffering consecutive ugly losses, giving up 56 straight points to Utah and Washington State.

Edwards was thought to be on the hot seat at the end of the season, but Anderson said he would remain as coach following a lopsided win over rival Arizona.

Arizona State had an exodus of players and coaches during the offseason, losing five assistant coaches, 11 players drafted or signed by NFL teams and numerous key players to the transfer portal.

In January,  Arizona State offensive coordinator Zak Hill has resigned amid the NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations, a person familiar with the move confirmed to The Associated Press at the time. 

Wide receivers coach Prentice Gill and secondary coach Chris Hawkins were fired for cause and tight ends coach Adam Breneman resigned earlier this year, as well. All three were placed an administrative leave prior to the 2021 season in the wake of an investigation into Arizona State’s hosting of recruits on campus during an NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period, among other possible infractions.

The investigation is still ongoing.

Head coaches Chris Creighton of Eastern Michigan and Herm Edwards of the Arizona State Sun Devils talk before the start of the NCAAF game at Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday

Edwards rebuilt the Sun Devils mainly through the transfer portal, adding 43 new players to the roster.

The Sun Devils opened the season with an expectedly-easy win over FCS opponent Northern Arizona and played OK at No. 8 Oklahoma State before fading late in 34-17 loss.

Arizona State hoped it righted itself against Eastern Michigan, only to fall flat against a 20 1/2-point underdog at home. The Sun Devils could not stop the Eagles defensively, were plagued by key penalties and became the first Pac-12 school to lose to a MAC school.

'We had a lot of faith and confidence that with the right coaching staff and with some of the folks that we were anticipating bringing in, we would have an opportunity to really bounce back,' Anderson said. 'We were looking to do that with the leadership we had and thought we had an opportunity to do that - and it did not materialize.'

News of the NCAA probe began with a report by The Athletic claiming that the Sun Devils hosted high school recruits during a dead period in 2021. According to one ASU athletic department staffer at the time, the football program was 'a rogue culture' built on a 'house of cards.'

The exact number of recruits who personally visited the school during the dead period is not known, but sources told The Athletic that coaches were 'hiding' recruits in suites for games at Sun Devil Stadium during the 2020 season.

A former Sun Devils coach told The Athletic that he witnessed a recruiting assistant bringing prospective players into the team's practice facility through a back stairwell to meet Edwards.

Another source told The Athletic that hallway cameras at the team's practice facility have footage of recruits visiting in violation of NCAA rules.

The cost of recruiting did decline for Arizona State during the moratorium. After dropping nearly $600,000 on recruiting expenses in 2019, the school spent only $314,977 in 2020, according to information obtained by The Athletic through a public-records request

The NCAA put a 15-month moratorium on in-person recruiting at the onset of the pandemic in March of 2020. During that time, coaches and recruiting coordinators were required to use video calls and other electronic communication to deal with recruits. Traditional in-person recruiting resumed on June 1, 2021. 

The cost of recruiting did decline for Arizona State during the moratorium. After dropping nearly $600,000 on recruiting expenses in 2019, the school spent only $314,977 in 2020, according to information obtained by The Athletic through a public-records request.

The Sun Devils played only four games in 2020 as Edwards and much of the coaching staff tested positive for COVID-19. After going 2-2, the team opted to remove itself from bowl consideration.

Edwards's level of involvement in the alleged recruiting violations was unclear, according to The Athletic, which described him as the program's 'CEO' rather than a hands-on coach.

One source described Edwards as the 'closer' in recruiting, explaining there was 'no way' he would be aware of any violations. Another source put Edwards's awareness about the program's recruiting efforts at around '90 percent.'