ESPN's Herm Edwards hired as Arizona State coach

ByABC News
December 3, 2017, 11:15 PM

— -- Former NFL coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards has taken the Arizona State head-coaching job, the school said Sunday night. 

A news conference has been scheduled for Monday morning to announce the hire and unveil "plans for a restructured ASU football program."

Edwards, 63, has spent the past nine years as an NFL analyst for ESPN. Before that, he was a head coach in the NFL for eight seasons, and he compiled a 54-74 record with the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.

"Our goal for this football program is to reach unprecedented heights, and therefore, we need to find a way to operate more innovatively and efficiently than we have in the past," ASU vice president of athletics Ray Anderson said. "In the spirit of innovation, our vision for this program is to have a head coach who serves as a CEO and is the central leader with a collaborative staff around him that will elevate the performance of players and coaches on the field, in the classroom and in our community.

"Equally important, the head coach will be a dynamic and tireless recruiter."

Edwards emerged as a serious candidate early last week.

Edwards, who played defensive back in the pros, has not coached since 2008, when he was fired after a 2-14 season with the Chiefs. He coached the Jets from 2001 to 2005. He last coached at the college level in 1989, as a cornerbacks coach for San Jose State.

"Passion for my faith, my family and my occupation as a football coach are the things that have driven me back to the grass," Edwards said. "My personal commitment to build young men to be whole people through the game of football is completely in alignment with the vision President Michael Crow and [Anderson] have for this program.

"I stand ready for the challenge of working with them to elevate Sun Devil Football. I am very excited and humbled to be the Arizona State head football coach."

Anderson represented Edwards during his days as an agent.

The Sun Devils fired Todd Graham on Sunday after six seasons, but Graham will stay on through the Sun Devils' bowl game.