Herm Edwards gets major punishment from NCAA over recruiting violations

Sep 1, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards looks on against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks during the first half at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Former Arizona State head coach Herm Edwards will not be coming back to college football anytime soon, and the NCAA made sure of that on Friday.

Edwards will receive a show-cause penalty of at least three years stemming from an investigation into alleged recruiting violations, according to Chris Karpman of Sun Devil Source. Edwards acknowledged that he was personally and directly involved in the violations during the investigation.

BREAKING: Herm Edwards has received a show-cause penalty of at least three years from the NCAA Committee on Infractions, per sources. This will not be officially announced until the full case is completed (months away).

Edwards acknowledged recruiting infractions to the COI.

— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) April 19, 2024

In 2021, Edwards and Arizona State were accused of recruiting high school players during the 2020 COVID-19 dead period, a clear violation of NCAA rules. The investigation led to the departure of a number of assistant coaches, but Edwards himself held on until 2022, when he was fired after a 1-2 start to the season. By that point, he seemingly was a controversial figure even within the program.

The 69-year-old Edwards was unlikely to coach in college again even before this penalty was determined. That is pretty much certain now that he has been hit with a fairly big penalty.