Wednesday was the national early signing period, and Arizona State football coach Herm Edwards doesn’t really seem to know how things work.
Edwards comes from an NFL background, so it’s understandable why there might be a bit of a challenge in the transition to college. However, it seems to be going rough.
The new ASU coach was quoted as saying, “Signing Day is a little bit unusual for me, because in pro football, you get to draft them. In college, they get to pick you!”
ASU’s Herm Edwards on ESPN2: “Signing Day is a little bit unusual for me, because in pro football, you get to draft them. In college, they get to pick you!”
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) February 7, 2018
What he’s saying is factually accurate, but the surprise he demonstrates in that statement is absurd. That’s not the outlook I want my coach having. A great coach goes out there and gets his players. It’s not about them picking you. College football recruiting is about selling the recruit to the point that he can’t turn you down.
A successful recruiter doesn’t make it look like the player chooses you. The player feels like he had no other choice when it’s all said and done. Of course, if all else fails, you can just hand them a bag of cash. The SEC certainly has never been above buying its players.
I’m so pumped to watch this Herm Edwards experiment at ASU. It’s going to be so much fun. I hope he crushes it so that he’s around for awhile, but I worry that’s not what’s going to happen. Either way, it’s going to be a fun ride.