ESPN: ASU Confirms Self-Imposed 2023 Bowl Ban for NCAA Violations Under Herm Edwards

Arizona State self-imposed a bowl ban for the 2023 season in connection to NCAA violations that occurred under former head coach Herm Edwards, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The Athletic's Doug Haller first reported in June 2021 the NCAA was looking into the football program.

Thamel wrote the school is alleged to have "blatantly violated recruiting rules, specifically ignoring NCAA-mandated dead periods during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Reporting for Yahoo Sports in 2021, Thamel detailed how ASU staffers compiled a "dossier of documents" that laid out potential NCAA violations. Among the included evidence was a photo purportedly of Edwards escorting a prospective recruit around the team's facilities during the COVID dead period.

On the whole, the administration's gamble of hiring a head coach with almost no experience at the college level backfired in a big way.

The NCAA has yet to write an official notice of allegations to Arizona State, but that didn't stop the school from cleaning house.

Five coaches, including defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce, were gone ahead of the 2022 season. Edwards left by mutual agreement last September following a 1-2 start.

Especially in retrospect, the Sun Devils might wish they had imposed a bowl ban on themselves last year since they went on to win just three games.

First-year head coach Kenny Dillingham is clearly building for the future in 2023, but gaining bowl eligibility wasn't an unreasonable goal for the team to set. Dillingham did well on the recruiting trail and made a number of additions through the transfer portal.

Sunday's news will be a particularly tough blow for Arizona State's most experienced players, who will have wanted to end their college careers on a high note.

However, getting ahead of any NCAA ruling might mean the Sun Devils no longer have to have the specter of a bowl ban hanging in 2024, when expectations will presumably even higher.