Arizona State football's Herm Edwards included in college football coach on hot seat lists

Before this season, Arizona State football coach Herm Edwards had a team that many thought would compete for the Pac-12 title.

He was popular among fans and media members alike and seemed to have the program headed in the right direction.

Then, the program that he oversees was slammed with NCAA recruiting allegations before the season kicked off. And once the season began, the Sun Devils haven't been able to live up to expectations on the field and are currently a disappointing 6-3 overall.

The ASU football coach's name is starting to show up in stories about college football coaches on the hot seat, even after his team bounced back from two embarrassing back-to-back losses to defeat USC last week.

How hot is Edwards' seat as Sun Devils coach?

College football writers discussed that question in recent stories about Edwards and speculated about when his time at Arizona State could end.

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Pac-12 Insider Jon Wilner took a look at the coaching carousel in the Pac-12 Conference and he had Arizona State fourth on his list ranked "from the perspective of maximum tumult," calling Edwards' seat "hot."

Wilner wrote: Edwards’ future at the helm is in doubt because of an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations during the pandemic. The school already has placed three assistants on paid leave and pulled its chief recruiter off the road. You don’t take those steps if the allegations are unfounded. The Hotline believes a change in Tempe is likely: Either the 67-year-old Edwards will be forced to resign because of the recruiting violations, or he’ll decide enough is enough and retire after four years, one pandemic and several unseemly allegations against his program. The prospect of departing before the NCAA rules on the case could be appealing. If Edwards is long gone when the hammer falls, the damage to his personal reputation — not to mention the sanctions against the school — might not be as severe."

CBS Sports: Herm Edwards a 4 on a scale of 1 to 5 for how hot his seat is at ASU

Dennis Dodd had three coaches with a "win or be fired" rating of 5. Edwards was included among six coaches with a four, which he labeled as "start improving now."

Dodd wrote: "There is an ongoing NCAA investigation, two assistants have been put on administrative leave, and defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce has been called the "mastermind" of the recruiting violations. Adding to it all: The Pac-12 South that was once theirs is slipping away from the Sun Devils."

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247 Sports: Herm Edwards not helping his case with recent losses

Austin Nivison wrote before ASU's win over USC: "The allegations of NCAA violations might be enough to turn up the heat on Edwards’ seat, but the product on the field these days is not helping much, either. The Sun Devils started out the 2021 season with a 5-1 record and were poised to reach the Pac-12 Championship Game. Now, after two straight losses, Edwards and Arizona State might wind up on the outside looking in at the end of the regular season."

247 Sports: ASU a potential head coaching opening in college football

Brandon Marcello speculated about the future of Edwards at Arizona State, including him on a list of potential coaches who could soon be done at their schools.

He wrote: "Is Arizona State ready to ride and die with Herm Edwards amid an NCAA investigation?"

Trojans Wire: Herm Edwards is on the hot seat at ASU

Matthew Zemek wrote: "Herm Edwards is squarely on the hot seat in the desert. Many people felt Arizona State’s players flatly quit on herm in a pathetic and embarrassing blowout loss to Washington State… That loss came after an off week and a second-half collapse against Utah in which the Sun Devils were outscored 28-0. They had two weeks to think about all the things they did wrong and all the ways in which they didn’t measure up … and they played an indifferent, listless game against Washington State."

How much longer do you think Herm Edwards will be the coach at Arizona State?

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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: College football coach on hot seat lists include ASU's Herm Edwards