Herm Edwards: DJ Davidson can be a ‘disrupter’ for Giants

Herm Edwards believes rookie DJ Davidson, who he coached in college, can be a disruptive force for the New York Giants.

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The New York Giants selected Arizona State defensive lineman DJ Davidson with the 147th overall pick in the fifth round of this year’s NFL draft.

Davidson was in good hands out in Tempe with former Giants captain Antonio Pierce as his defensive coordinator and former NFL player and head coach Herm Edwards as the head coach.

Edwards recently appeared on the Giants Huddle podcast and talked a bit about Davidson, a player he coached for four years at the collegiate level.

“His maturity, naturally, and his ability to learn the position and become a pretty good technician,” Edwards said when asked what impressed him most about Davidson.

Edwards also called Davidson “light on his feet” and said he can “shed blocks and make plays” and be a “disrupter.”

Davidson was a top run defender and the Giants will need players who can stop the run as well as get to the passer.

“He has great balance, not on the ground a lot,” said Edwards.

Edwards also believes Davidson will likely warrant double teams at times, which would free up others to make plays.

“If he can get into one-on-one situations, he can take advantage,” said Edwards, who also said the the NFL-style system he runs gives his players an edge heading into the league.

Davidson will be trying to break into a rotation that consists of Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, Justin Ellis, Jalyn Holmes and others. He is coming in at 25 years old and Edwards said he won’t be in awe heading into the next level.

Edwards also noted that Davidson is a silent guy who leads by example.

“When he talks, though, people listen,” said Edwards when asked about players who say little and let their playing do the talking. “Those are the scary guys.”

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Pat’s POV: These 10 coaches should be on ‘hot seat’ alert

College Wire’s Regional Editor Patrick Conn releases his hot seat rankings for the 2022 season.

The 2021 college football season was wild enough before you factored in the coaching carousel. That alone was a train on the tracks without any brakes.

With so much movement around the college football landscape, could we see anything that rivals that in 2022? Conventional wisdom says no, but I don’t question anything these days when it comes to the sport. Last year we didn’t think Oklahoma or Notre Dame were stepping stone universities but both Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly proved us wrong.

In this week’s edition of “Pat’s POV”, we look at the head coaches who could be on hot seat alert ahead of the 2022 college football season.

College football coaches facing the most pressure in 2022

College football is a pressure-packed industry.

College football is a pressure-packed industry. Nowadays, schools are becoming less and less patient with coaches trying to turn around a program. If a head coach does not start seeing significant results in two or three years, their job is likely in jeopardy.

The 2021 season proved to be make-or-break years for many coaches around the sport.

Kirby Smart got Georgia over the hump to bring home the first national title in 40 years. Jim Harbaugh finally took down rival Ohio State en route to a conference championship. Mike Gundy got the last laugh against Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners as the Pokes had an impressive 11-2 season.

Unfortunately, not everyone had the success those programs did in 2021. Clay Helton and Ed Orgeron were fired after losing seasons at blue blood programs. TCU moved on from longtime head coach Gary Patterson after another down season in Fort Worth.

Here is a list of college football coaches under the most pressure in 2022.

REPORT: Paul Tyson has found a new home

Paul Tyson has a new home

Earlier this week quarterback Paul Tyson announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. It is now being reported that Tyson has made a commitment to Herm Edwards and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Tyson, who is the great-grandson of legendary Alabama head coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant, has spent three seasons with the team. Due to Covid, Tyson will still have three remaining years of eligibility.

The Sun Devils will be returning three-year starter Jayden Daniels at quarterback, so Tyson will have his hands full in winning a starting job this season.

Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports was first to report on Tyson’s commitment.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

First AP poll pegs Oregon at No. 11; Buckeyes No. 4

Oregon is the top-ranked Pac-12 team at No. 11 in the first AP college football poll of the season.

No disrespect to Oregon’s Week 1 opponent Fresno State, but nearly all eyes are on that Week 2 game when the Ducks go to Ohio State.

Almost every pre-season poll has the Buckeyes near the top with Oregon somewhere hovering near the Top 10. The Associated Press college football poll isn’t any different as the AP published its first poll of the 2021 season.

Oregon sits squarely just outside the Top 10 at No. 11 with that team in Columbus at No. 4. North Carolina was able to squeak past the Ducks with 31 more votes to claim that No. 10 spot.

Other notables include the USC Trojans at No. 15, Washington at No. 20, Utah at No. 24, and despite all of their off-the-field issues, Herm Edwards’ Arizona State squad barely makes it into the poll at No. 25. Chip Kelly’s UCLA team managed to receive two votes.

That makes it five Pac-12 schools who will be ranked when the season begins and considering the league is usually fifth among the Power 5 conferences, that’s a good showing.

We’ll see how everything changes as the season progresses.

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A top Wisconsin 2021 CB target chooses Arizona State over the Badgers

A top Badger target commits to Arizona State

The Badgers lost out on a top 2021 target when CB Robert Regan committed to Arizona State this morning.

The California native will head to the Valley of the Sun to play for Herm Edwards and crew. It was all love from the Wisconsin 2021 family even as the Badgers missed out on a top target. 2021 Wisconsin commit T.J. Bollers chimed in to show his support for Regan’s decision.

Florida native Ricardo Hallman is currently the only Wisconsin CB commit in the class of 2021.

PODCAST: Arizona State OC Zak Hill

PODCAST: Arizona State OC Zak Hill

Arizona State offensive coordinator Zak Hill is the latest coach to join the show “Tennessee Two-A-Days” as the 2020 college football season approaches.

Hill is a coach and offensive mind on the rise as he takes on his first Power Five position for Herm Edwards at Arizona State.

Arizona State University head football coach Herm Edwards speaks with newly hired offensive coordinator Zak Hill during practice at the Verde Dickey Dome on campus in Tempe, Tuesday, December 17, 2019.

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He comes to Arizona State after serving as offensive coordinator at Boise State (2016-19) and passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Eastern Washington (2008-15).

Hill was a record-breaking quarterback at Central Washington from 1999-2003 and became a student assistant at EWU from 2004-05.

He spent three seasons at Hillsboro High School in Oregon as offensive coordinator from 2006-07 and took over as head coach in 2008.

The show with Hill can be listened to here or below.

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Ex-Jets coach Herm Edwards rules out NFL return

Herm Edwards will not make a return to the NFL as a head coach.

Herm Edwards has decided that eight years as an NFL head coach was enough for him.

Edwards was on Fox Sports Radio with Colin Cowherd earlier this week. There, Edwards was asked if he would ever make a return to the NFL as a head coach. Edwards quickly shot the idea down. Instead, he said his current head coaching job at Arizona State will be his last.

“No, this is it,” Edwards said. “This is my last stand right here. I’m going to build a program and hopefully, we can win the Pac-12, win a Rose Bowl and then hand it over to somebody else. That’s my goal.”

In two years at Arizona State so far, Edwards has a record of 15-11. That includes a Sun Bowl victory against Florida State in 2019.

Edwards’ first NFL head coaching job came with the Jets in 2001. He made the playoffs in three out of his five years in New York but finished with a 39-41 overall record. Edwards won two playoff games with the Jets but couldn’t get past the AFC Divisional game. He was fired after the 2005 season after a dismal 4-12 record.

Edwards was quick to land another job with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006. He made the playoffs in his first season, losing to the Colts in the AFC Wild Card game. Edwards followed that season up with six wins over the next two years, which led to his firing after the 2008 season.

After his NFL head coaching career, Edwards joined ESPN as an analyst before accepting the Arizona State job.