Arizona State is expected to self-impose a bowl ban for the 2023 season over violations committed under former coach Herm Edwards, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday.
The NCAA has been investigating Arizona State since June 2021, looking into allegations that former defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce, who also served as the school’s recruiting coordinator, helped create a culture in which rule breaking was rewarded.
Arizona State allegedly blatantly violated recruiting rules, specifically ignoring NCAA-mandated dead periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. The violations were so blatant that some Arizona State staff members kept a group text documenting them, with a dossier created that was sent to the NCAA in May 2021.
The investigation led to five full-time coaches leaving the staff or being fired, including Pierce and former offensive coordinator Zak Hill.
The NCAA has not yet sent a notice of allegations to Arizona State.
Edwards coached the Sun Devils from 2018 to 2022, when he left the job under a “mutual agreement” three games into the season. Edwards joined ESPN as an analyst in November, returning to a role he held from 2009 until his hiring by the school.
Arizona State was projected to finish 10th in the Pac-12 this season in the conference’s preseason media poll. The Sun Devils are playing their final season in the Pac-12 before joining the Big 12 in 2024, along with three other Pac-12 members.
