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Former ASU football coach Herm Edwards slammed for Brock Purdy recruiting comments: 'Liar'

Author

Rachel Ellis

Updated on April 03, 2026

Herm Edwards has come under fire for some comments he recently made on ESPN Radio about the recruitment of Brock Purdy during Edwards' time as coach of the Arizona State football team.

"I always knew what kind of quarterback Brock Purdy was," Edwards said recently, via Arizona Sports' Tim Ring. "I recruited him out of high school. But he ended up going to Iowa."

That all sounds nice, doesn't it?

Except for some ASU football recruiting analysts who poked holes in Edwards' comments, explaining that ASU actually didn't really recruit Purdy, who was a standout QB at Gilbert Perry High not far from Arizona State University.

They felt the need to set the record straight on Edwards' comments, questioning why the former coach would say what he said, because Arizona State never offered Purdy a scholarship.

Purdy ended up going to Iowa State, not Iowa as Edwards said. After his Iowa State career, he was the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and now has the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58 against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 11.

Super Bowl 58: 49ers vs. Chiefs picks | The Arizona Republic's game prediction | Game odds | MVP odds | How to watch | Announcers | Win probabilities

Herm Edwards just now on ESPN Radio : “ I always knew what kind of quarterback Brock Purdy was. I recruited him out of high school. But he ended up going to Iowa.”

Unreal.

— Tim Ring (@timringTV) January 30, 2024

ASU recruiting analysts, former coach set record straight on Brock Purdy's Arizona State recruitment:

Donnie Yantis, Edwards’ recruiting coordinator at the time, just told me he was sent to Purdy’s HS in December to tell him he could be a preferred walk-on.

A month later, after Iowa State and others offered, ASU tried to offer. It was rejected. Too late.

— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) January 30, 2024

Here is the timeline of Purdy’s recruitment. ASU could have been the first major school to offer but instead pursued a few other QBs.

To be fair, Purdy was not widely recruited nor rated as a four-star. Group think, as opposed to individual evaluations with self-confidence.

— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) January 30, 2024

ASU got Daniels in the next class and he started as a freshman after Wilkins in 2018. But then Edwards fired Rob Likens despite his very good job with Daniels as a freshman. That was a much bigger mistake, in retrospect. Likens was the right type of OC for Daniels at the time.

— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) January 30, 2024

He never got an offer from ASU to begin with. Purdy wanted to be a Sun Devil but the Todd Graham staff did not recruit him. There was no true recruitment process that took place with Purdy once Herm Edwards was the head coach. Otherwise there would have been an offer.

— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) January 30, 2024

Brock Purdy never got one. His younger brother Chubba was offered by ASU and was recruited hard but the bad blood from the previous staff prevented ASU from landing him.

— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) January 30, 2024

This isn't about Purdy being good in hindsight. He was not offered by either staff at ASU so you can't say you recruited a player under those circumstances.

— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) January 30, 2024

It's OK to say in hindsight that you missed out on a good QB. A lot of other schools did the same. But not OK to make up stuff.

— DevilsDigest.com (@DevilsDigest) January 30, 2024

I’ve said this since the day I first watched his HS film… Brock Purdy is a winner…. @brockpurdy13
And to think our staff didn’t offer him… I shook my head then and have been since then… all the young man has done is win.. at Perry HS, @CycloneFB , and now w the @49ers

— Donnie Yantis (@donnieyantis) January 29, 2024

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Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards walks the sidelines as his team plays the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe on Sept. 17, 2022.

Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards walks the sidelines as his team plays the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe on Sept. 17, 2022.

Social media slammed Herm Edwards for his Brock Purdy ASU recruiting comments:

Incredible lack of self-awareness. But I guess when you can just pocket a few mil after destroying a program & then just waltz back into your TV job & get fawned over by every host there - you feel empowered & somewhat teflon- just say whatever the hell you want. Truth be damned.

— Tim Ring (@timringTV) January 30, 2024

@HermEdwards you’re nothing but a conman. A total fraud. A complete liar. There’s no one in football I trust less than Herm Edwards. Should be in jail for stealing from ASU.

— Up The Hill Sports (@UpTheHillSports) January 30, 2024

Nice to see Herm still lying to people.

— Scott Allen (@azsportsguy) January 30, 2024

By recruited him he means he was obligated to go to one of the games for some ASU award or just to show face to HS football that Purdy happened to be starting in, and at most shook his hand and said we have our eye on you son, keep it up.

— DrJetAZ (@DrJetAZ) January 30, 2024

Is that why ASU wasn’t even on his list of interested schools? He got like 9 offers and ASU was not one of them

— Steven Lorenz (@Stove_L) January 30, 2024

More: 49ers QB Brock Purdy to make history for Arizona high schools with Super Bowl 58 start

Super Bowl MVP odds: Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Travis Kelce lead

Brock Purdy went to Iowa State after graduating from Gilbert Perry High. Now, he's led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brock Purdy went to Iowa State after graduating from Gilbert Perry High. Now, he's led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Reach Jeremy Cluff at . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Brock Purdy ASU football recruiting comments by Herm Edwards slammed