Herm Edwards reportedly lands Arizona State job

On Tuesday it was reported that Herm Edwards -- yes, that Herm Edwards -- was in the running for the Arizona State job.

On Wednesday it was reported he got the job.

Two Arizona State outlets reported that Edwards will indeed be the head coach of the Sun Devils, with one outlet reporting it has been done “for days.”

BREAKING: Herm Edwards is expected to be Arizona State’s next football coach pending approval of University President Dr. Michael Crow https://t.co/tZAfzu1Rs1

— SunDevilSource.com (@SunDevilSource) November 29, 2017

Confirmed earlier reports that pending approval of ASU President Dr. Michael Crow, Herm Edwards will be hired as ASU's next football coach. Deal has been done for days. Edwards will keep current staff.

— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) November 30, 2017

There’s no way to slice it: this is an odd move. Edwards has not coached since 2008 and has not coached in college in the lifetime of any current college player.

Edwards gave a radio interview Wednesday morning arguing he was the right man for the job. He also confirmed he would keep Todd Graham‘s staff in place, as AD Ray Anderson preferred.

Herm Edwards cites the fact he has to travel 6,000 miles a week to come to work on ESPN as why he’s up to the rigors of being a college head coach. I mean…

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 29, 2017

Herm on coming in with a ready-made staff at ASU: “I don’t know if they’re Todd Graham’s guys. They’re football guys. Coaches belong to football.”

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) November 29, 2017

According to the report from Sun Devil Source, the hiring will not be officially official under Edwards can earn the blessing of Dr. Michael Crow, which cannot happen until this weekend when the Arizona State president returns from a global education summit in China.

Edwards has worked at ESPN since leaving the Kansas City Chiefs after the ’08 season, and in recent years built a brand traveling the country as a motivational speaker. It was part of that work that got him the job, according to Sun Devil Source:

In consideration of Edwards’ candidacy for the job, Anderson was bolstered in part, according to a source, by the way in which Edwards impressed Alabama coach Nick Saban in annual talks he’s given to players at the school in recent years. Edwards has always participated as a coach of the Under Armour All-American Game in recent years, where he’s interacted with many of the nation’s top recruits.

Offensive coordinator Billy Napier, himself a former Nick Saban disciple, is expected to stay on and have a major hand in running the day-to-day aspects of the program, with Edwards taking more of a CEO role.

Arizona State went 7-5 this season and will play in a bowl game next month, to be determined on Sunday. The Sun Devils went 46-31 in the 6-year Graham era.