Who's laughing now? Herm Edwards has Arizona State ascending as Sun Devils make noise in Pac-12 [View all]

Plucking a former coach best known for being an ESPN analyst had its flaws. So did trying to redefine the infrastructure of college coaching in a press release manifesto featuring a much-lampooned "New Leadership Model" filled with corporate buzzwords.

The New Leadership Model will allow for resource sharing and strategic planning between the football staff and administrators who are directly involved with the program. ... Sun Devil Football's existing recruiting infrastructure will be upgraded through additional staff support and evaluation resources, by instilling a culture of accountability at all levels ... The New Leadership Model affords coordinators and assistant coaches more flexibility in how they develop student-athletes on the field, and enables Sun Devil Football to build on the 'Championship Life' program already in place through the Office of Student-Athlete Development to better equip student-athletes with the tools and skills necessary to succeed in their respective future endeavors.

"Either this is going to be a wild success, the selection of this coach, or it's going to fail miserably" executive senior associate AD Jean Boyd said the time.

It hasn't failed. There are plenty of signs Edwards will be, if not wildly successful, completely capable. Turns out Edwards, a guy with eight years experience leading NFL teams, can coach a little bit. (That's meant as an intentional understatement.)

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/whos-laughing-now-herm-edwards-has-arizona-state-ascending-as-sun-devils-make-noise-in-pac-12/amp/

Arizona State has also done very well in recruiting this off-season. I was one of the few that liked the hire at the time. I don't mind a coach with NFL experience coaching my college team.