Arizona State Wants To Play To Win The Game And Reportedly May Hire Herm Edwards (UPDATE)

You know how the main goal of 2017 has been to be as weird as possible? Well guess what: Herm Edwards is reportedly in the mix to become the next head football coach at Arizona State University. Yes, former Jets and Chiefs coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards is apparently in the mix to become the next head coach of the Sun Devils. What an incredible time to be alive.

Paul Calvisi of 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station was the first to report the interest between the two sides, pointing out that Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson served as the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations before joining the Sun Devils. This, Calvisi reported, means Anderson is believed to “heavily consider coaches with NFL ties” for the position. The report was confirmed by Football Scoop.

Edwards, who is 63, doesn’t have much college coaching experience, as he started his career as the defensive backs coach at San Jose State from 1987-89 before jumping to the NFL. He was the head coach in New York from 2001-05 and Kansas City from 2006-08, accruing a 54-74 record and making the postseason four times.

While hiring someone with experience being a head coach is always a plus during something like this, coaching football in college is far different from coaching in the NFL. Things like recruiting and fundraising don’t really exist in the NFL, and it’s very fair to question whether Edwards would be able to do those things as a first-time collegiate head coach.

Or maybe Edwards would step in immediately and turn the Sun Devils into a powerhouse. Who knows, but the general reaction from the college football world has been confusion, which is understandable.

UPDATE: One of Edwards’ colleagues at ESPN confirmed the interest between the two sides, as Adam Schefter reported that Edwards will interview for the job later this week.

Even with all the reports about the apparent mutual interest, this would still be a hire that seemingly comes from out of left field.