Herm Edwards is making it clear that he is trying to run his Arizona State football team like an NFL franchise.
Edwards, who is in his first year as the Sun Devils’ head coach, said on Tuesday that the program’s players are fighting for their scholarships and facing cuts.
“There was a message sent, and the message was very clear that we’re in the process of evaluating players between now and next week,” Edwards said, via the Arizona Republic. “You’re going to find whether you continue to be part of it or not. I told them that when I first took the job.”
Edwards is putting pressure on his players to compete and play their best. He’s trying to motivate them and send a message to those who are nursing injuries and not participating in spring practices.
Since this is college, you’re probably wondering whether a coach can “cut” a player the way they do in the NFL. Edwards said that they will offer financial aid to players who are cut if they want to remain as ASU students, which follows in line with student-athlete scholarship agreements.
According to the NCAA, there are only certain circumstances under which a coach can cancel a student-athlete’s scholarship, and performance on the field is not one of them. The circumstances include:
– Student-athlete becomes ineligible
– Student-athlete commits fraud
– Misconduct
– Quits the team for personal reasons
Maybe these threats and motivation will be good for the program. After all, “cuts” is a word that resonates with players more than the words used in this bizarre press release.
