Arizona State Football

Former Baltimore Ravens head coach Brian Billick has joined Herm Edwards' staff at Arizona State as an offensive analyst and adviser, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. 

"I have known Brian since the 1980s and he is a person whom I completely trust," Edwards said in a statement Monday. "He has built one of the finest reputations the NFL has ever known, serving as a head coach, an assistant coach and as a respected television analyst. Brian has one of the brightest offensive minds in football today, and that is especially why I hired him. He will serve as a valuable resource to our entire coaching staff but specifically to our offensive staff."

Billick, 67, last coached professionally in 2007. He most famously coaches the Ravens between the 1999-07 seasons, accumulating an 80-64 record, four playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title. 

He began his coaching career in 1978 as a graduate assistant at BYU. From there he spent five seasons as the tight ends coach at San Diego State (1981-85), three years as the offensive coordinator for Utah State (1986-88) and three years as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach for Stanford (1989-91). 

That was his last gig at the college level. 

Billick then moved to the NFL, where he coached tight ends for the Minnesota Vikings in 1992 before taking over as the offensive coordinator (1993-98). His job with the Ravens followed. 

Since then, he's worked in broadcasting as an NFL analyst.

"I love what they are doing at ASU," Billick said in a statement of his own. "It's all about structure in the NFL and hopefully that's what I can bring to the table at ASU. My work for the last 12 years in television at Fox and the NFL Network has allowed me to take a step back and see the game from a different angle. It broadened my perspective and that is what I will bring to this position."

Edwards, 67, has spent the past four seasons as Arizona State's head coach, leading the school to a 25-18 record and three bowl appearances. The Sun Devils finished 8-5 in 2021. 

Herm Edwards will return as head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2022, athletic director Ray Anderson told the team following Saturday's 38-15 win over Arizona, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. 

Edwards' status for the 2022 campaign had been in question in relation to an ongoing NCAA investigation for possible recruiting violations after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. 

"I'm going to be the coach," Edwards said. "There's an elevator near the stairs I take and I told myself the day I don't have the energy to take those stairs, I won't coach anymore. I'll be taking the stairs tonight."

Arizona State finished the 2021 season 8-4, and Saturday's win over Arizona was a solid way for the Sun Devils to finish out the year as the team was rather inconsistent and defeated just one team with a winning record.

The NCAA's investigation in Arizona State reportedly includes the program hosting prospects during the recruiting dead period in which FBS programs were banned from having recruits on campus from March 2020 through June 1, 2021, per Rittenberg. 

The investigation also reportedly includes Arizona State having contact with prospects at an off-campus recruiting camp in June, Rittenberg adds. The school placed assistants Adam Breneman, Prentice Gill and Chris Hawkins on leave over the summer amid the allegations. 

Edwards has a $3.7 million annual salary, per The Athletic, and he will receive a $200,000 raise at the start of the new year. The 67-year-old is 25-17 as head coach of the Sun Devils. He took over in 2018 and has one bowl win over Florida State in 2019. 

Edwards is under contract through the 2024 season. 

Before joining Arizona State, Edwards served as head coach of the New York Jets from 2001-05 and head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2006-08. He was also assistant head coach and defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2000 and Chiefs defensive backs coach from 1992-95.  

Arizona State deputy athletic director Jean Boyd allegedly knew about potential recruiting violations made by the football program during the winter.

A former ASU athletic department staff member told Doug Haller and Bruce Feldman of The Athletic that Boyd was aware of the alleged recruiting violations, although they were unsure if Boyd investigated the matter.

Haller reported last week that Arizona State was being investigated by the NCAA for allegedly hosting in-person recruiting visits during a 15-month ban on such visits because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Katie Paquet, ASU's vice president of media relations and strategic communications, confirmed that the program was under investigation, but did not provide any specifics regarding possible violations.

Per Haller, some within the Sun Devils football program are "concerned about losing their jobs" due to the alleged violations.

One former ASU athletic department staffer told Haller there is "no way" Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards knew about the violations, while another former staffer said, "He is probably aware of 90 percent of the recruiting stuff that goes on."

Haller noted that Edwards is viewed as more of a program "CEO" than a head coach, and that he relies on associate head coach and recruiting and defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce to contribute in multiple areas.

On Friday, Haller and Feldman added that there are now further allegations beyond Arizona State hosting recruits for in-person visits.

It is alleged that ASU paid for the expenses of visiting recruits during unofficial visits, which is an NCAA violation, as either the recruit or their parent or guardian are required to pay for such expenses, per Haller and Feldman.

Documents sent to Arizona State's compliance department and the NCAA revealed a plethora of potential NCAA recruiting violations, according to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel.

Dated May 31, there are 10 staff members and 13 prospects named in the allegations.

The documents open with a straightforward message:

"I am writing this letter to inform you about recruiting violations that are occurring at Arizona State University in their Football department. My objective is…providing enough information to assure you if Arizona State football is looked into, there will be violations found." 

An NCAA investigation is ongoing, the school confirmed to Yahoo Sports. Thamel reported that a group text that included almost a dozen staff members "communicated regularly ... about the allegedly illicit activities in the program." 

The allegations say 13 prospects visited campus during the pandemic-invoked recruiting dead period, which began in spring 2020 and wasn't lifted until June 21, 2021. During that time, prospective student-athletes could visit campus on their own but couldn't be entertained by coaching staff.  

"It wasn't a secret," a staff member with direct knowledge of the visits told Thamel on June 16. "As far as knowing everyone who came into that [football] office, the number is too big and the names are too many."

The level of evidence provided varies among the "more than a dozen allegations" in the documents, with some accompanied by screenshots and receipts, while there's no proof of other incidents. One photo is allegedly shows head coach Herm Edwards with a top recruit in the class of 2022, but Thamel said the identities of the people in the photo were unclear, as they were facing away from the camera. 

There is reportedly documentation that three assistant coaches—Chris Hawkins, Prentice Gill and Adam Breneman—arranged flights for recruits with assistance from the mother of quarterback Jayden Daniels, Regina Jackson, who helped book some of the flights. 

Daniels is not subject to the allegations. 

This evidence could have major implications if the NCAA investigation results in penalties, as the Sun Devils have 20 starters returning to the field and could contend for a conference championship.

The Arizona State football program is reportedly under investigation for potential NCAA recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Doug Haller of The Athletic, the NCAA is looking into allegations that Arizona State hosted in-person recruiting visits during a time when they were banned because of COVID-19.

Katie Paquet, Arizona State's vice president of media relations and strategic communications, confirmed that ASU is under investigation but did not provide additional details, saying: "ASU can confirm the NCAA is conducting an investigation regarding allegations related to our football program. In accordance with NCAA bylaws, the university cannot provide further comment at this time."

Per Haller, the NCAA outlawed in-person recruiting visits for 15 months beginning in March 2020 as part of its COVID-19 protocols.

Haller also reported that a former ASU athletic department employee said some within the Sun Devils football program are "concerned about losing their jobs."

Former New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards has been the head coach at Arizona State since 2018, posting a 17-13 record and taking the Sun Devils to two bowl games.

Haller noted that while Edwards is the head coach, he plays more of a "CEO" role, with the 67-year-old leaning "heavily on" former NFL linebacker, associate head coach and recruiting and defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce. Because of that, there is some question regarding whether Edwards was aware of the potential recruiting violations.

One former ASU athletic department staffer told Haller there is "no way" Edwards knew, while another former staffer said, "He is probably aware of 90 percent of the recruiting stuff that goes on."

Arizona State experienced significant COVID-19 issues during the 2020 season, as multiple cases resulted in the team missing almost a full month of play. The Pac-12 had already started late in relation to other conferences, and Arizona State played only four games, going 2-2.

After more than a year of college football programs being required to hold their recruiting visits via Zoom, the NCAA permitted them to return to normal procedures on June 1.

Jackson He met history at the goal line and powered right on through it Friday night. 

As Arizona State defeated Arizona, 70-7, He became the first Chinese-born player to score a touchdown in an FBS game. 

The junior tailback from Shaoguan, China, had four rushing attempts for seven yards and a score. With 7:02 left in the fourth quarter, and ASU at the goal line, He took the handoff and cut to his left, overpowering an Arizona defender and breaking the plane for the touchdown. 

He was an unranked recruit attending high school in San Diego when Arizona State became the only school to give the 5'9", 220-pound prospect a college offer. 

Three years later, against his school's bitter rival, He proved he belongs on the field and has six points to his name to show for it. 

Arizona State and the Pac-12 have canceled the program's second straight game due to the Sun Devils' COVID-19 outbreak.

The Pac-12 announced Sunday that ASU won't have the minimum number of healthy scholarship players to face off against Colorado on Saturday:

Under the conference's COVID-19 policy, teams must have 53 scholarship players available. That group has to include one quarterback, seven offensive linemen and four defensive linemen.

This past Friday, Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson didn't specify the extent of its outbreak but confirmed the program had "multiple student-athletes and coaching staff members" test positive. Head coach Herm Edwards is among the positive cases.

Anderson addressed the situation again Sunday:

"We regrettably have to invoke the Pac-12's football game cancellation policy for this week's game at Colorado due to positive COVID-19 cases among student-athletes and staff. The cancellation of another game is very difficult to accept for all of us, but it continues to be the right decision under the circumstances. The health, safety and welfare of our student-athletes is our number one priority and will continue to be at the forefront of every decision."

Fifteen FBS games in Week 11 were either postponed or canceled, and already, three games in Week 12 have met the same fate. UAB announced it would be unable to play UTEP on Friday, and the MAC wiped Tuesday's encounter between Ohio and Miami (OH) from its slate.

Colorado vs. Arizona State is ruled a no-contest. Depending on how the rest of the week unfolds, the Buffaloes, who improved to 2-0 with a 35-32 win over Stanford, might be able to take the field nonetheless. UCLA and California arranged an impromptu game when their original opponents couldn't play because of COVID-19-related issues.

Former NFL defensive back Ryan Clark spoke out about his son, Jordan, being called a racial slur at a Whataburger in Arizona recently.

Appearing on Friday's Get Up, Clark said his son has "faced racism and he's heard the word, but it never affected him in this way": 

A sophomore defensive back at Arizona State, Jordan Clark tweeted about the encounter Wednesday, describing how a white woman directed the slur at him and some of his teammates (warning: tweets contain uncensored slurs):

Echoing what he said on Get Up, Ryan Clark responded to his son's tweet for not preparing him for the racism he would face in America.

Jordan's teammates, Nolan Matthews and T Lee, also tweeted about their experience at the restaurant that night. 

Arizona State President Michael Crow issued a statement Wednesday:

“We are aware of the situation our student-athletes reported happening last night (Tuesday) at Whataburger where they were subjected to racist behavior and name calling by a customer. 

"There is no excuse for this. It is a continuation of gross ignorance, racism and hatred that permeates facets of our society. We understand that Whataburger has stepped-up and requested more information. We strongly encourage Whataburger to fully investigate this situation and assess what steps it must take to deal with customers who exhibit this kind of behavior. It cannot be tolerated.

"Sun Devil athletics is in continuous dialogue with student-athletes about the issue of racism in our society and will use this instance as a learning moment. Our commitment to all of our students is that we will provide an environment free of racism and that when confronted with it, we will not shy away from addressing the issue and that we will provide resources and tools to help students navigate and manage through these situations.”

Whataburger's official Twitter account also responded to Jordan's tweets, writing they "apologized to the players and their families for this terrible experience" and would reinforce "training with our employee on how this incident was handled." 

Arizona State punter Michael Turk announced Wednesday his final two years of collegiate eligibility have been restored after he didn't get picked during the 2020 NFL draft and went unsigned in the weeks following the event in late April.

ESPN's Kyle Bonagura reported the NCAA made the "unprecedented move" of making Turk eligible to play for the Sun Devils again. An ASU spokesperson confirmed the school helped him draft the appeal, which was based on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and noted he hadn't received money from his agent.

Turk entered the draft as a redshirt sophomore after a strong 2019 season for Arizona State. He tied for 11th in the country with an average of 46 yards per punt and had a long of 75 yards, which came in a game against Kent State where he averaged 63 yards on five punts.

The Dallas native, the nephew of former NFL punter Matt Turk, was selected First Team All-Pac 12 during his first season with the Sun Devils.

Turk started his collegiate career at Lafayette College, an FCS program, in 2017. He averaged 42.9 yards per punt as a true freshman with the Leopards.

In January, he told Brad Denny of AZFamily.com he knew it was "unconventional" for a punter to declare for the draft early, but he wanted the chance to prove himself.

"One of my thought processes was that I know I'm going to work harder than I ever have in my life at becoming a better punter," Turk said. "I'm confident that, God willing, once I do get those workouts and opportunities to prove that I'm a professional punter, I'll be able to do that."

Although he did take part in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, the subsequent pro days and individual meetings with teams were wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now he'll return to the Sun Devils, who accepted punter Logan Tyler on a graduate transfer from Florida State last month after Turk's departure. Tyler is also expected to compete for ASU's kicking job, per Bonagura. That could leave room for both players to earn consistent playing time.

"Throughout the season, I started to understand different parts of the field, what I have to do, what type of punts I need to hit," Turk told Denny. "I'm by no means done, but at the end of the season, I have a much better comprehensive understanding of all the different dimensions of punting."

He'll be eligible to re-enter the NFL draft in either 2021 as a redshirt junior or in 2022 after his final collegiate campaign.

Former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis will become the new co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State, according to Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com.

He had previously served as a special adviser to head coach Herman Edwards but will now be a full-time member of the staff.

Antonio Pierce will work as the other co-defensive coordinator.

Lewis spent 16 years leading the Bengals' coaching staff. He compiled 131-122-3 record during the regular season and earned seven playoff appearances, but the team failed to win a game in the postseason.

The 61-year-old Pennsylvania native mutually parted ways with Cincinnati following the 2018 season and spent the 2019 campaign as a special adviser to Herm Edwards at Arizona State.

In June, Lewis said during an appearance CBS Sports Radio (via Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer) he didn't envision himself returning to an NFL sideline.

"I don't think so. I'm fine," Lewis said, adding he didn't miss the NFL.

In all, the 2009 AP Coach of the Year has nearly four decades of coaching experience dating back to serving as a linebackers coach at Idaho State, his alma mater, starting in 1981.

Lewis was selected to serve as a head coach for the 2020 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in January and discussed his love of the college game.

"My coaching career started at the college level, so it's always held a special place in my heart," he said in a press release. "I'm looking forward to working with some of the country's best prospects at the Collegiate Bowl and helping prepare them to succeed as professionals."

Arizona State now adds another experienced coach to the staff as the squad tries to improve upon its 8-5 record from this past season, which included a win in the Sun Bowl.

The defense ranked 35th in the country at 22.4 points allowed per game.

Lewis has the potential to attract recruits thanks to his name recognition, but there's still a learning curve for someone entering that role for the first time.