Herm Edwards Feeling the Heat at Arizona State

Entering his fifth season as the head coach in Tempe, the Sun Devils are in hot water as the NCAA is hovering over the program with potential recruiting violations.

Many New Faces at Sun Devil Stadium

17 players entered the transfer portal from last year’s team. Four players were selected in the NFL draft and four more were signed as undrafted free agents.

The biggest player lost in the offseason is three year starting quarterback Jayden Daniels who transferred to LSU. Daniels’ replacement will be Quarterback Emory Jones, a transfer from Florida. Jones, along with Wyoming transfer running back Xazavian Valladay, will be expected to ignite the Sun Devils offense this season. But who knows how a transfer backfield will hold up in their first season together.

On the defensive side of the ball, Donnie Henderson will take over as the defensive coordinator. The Sun Devils are looking to replace four starters in their secondary. The front seven looks like the strong side of the team. Returning to ASU are linebackers Merlin Robertson and Kyle Soelle. However the team lost freshman All-American Eric Gentry to USC in the offseason. Miami transfer Nesta Jade Silvera should be the leader of the defensive line.

A Schedule That Will Test the Devils

Arizona State will take on Northern Arizona in their home opener on September 1. They then travel to Oklahoma State before returning home against Eastern Michigan. The Sun Devils will then enter conference play where they have home games against Utah, Washington, UCLA and Oregon State; ASU will have road games against USC, Stanford, Colorado and Washington State.

Fan Duel has the over/under set at just 5.5 games for Arizona State. You play to win the game, and if coach Edwards can’t win this season, it may be time for a fresh start.