The NCAA has announced an agreement with Arizona State University (ASU) regarding recruiting violations committed during the COVID-19 period. The university has agreed to disassociate with Regina Jackson, the mother of former quarterback Jayden Daniels, for five years after she allegedly paid for flights and lodging for recruits who visited Arizona State during the dead period. Daniels, who could go as high as No. 2 in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, transferred from Arizona State to LSU ahead of the 2022 season and won the Heisman this past season.
Former ASU head coach Herm Edwards agreed to a five-year show-cause penalty in a negotiated resolution with NCAA’s Committee on Infractions for his role in recruiting violations. The NCAA determined that Edwards extensively participated in impermissible recruiting, meeting with prospects on campus and elsewhere, including at a Paradise Valley house rented specifically for recruiting purposes in July 2020.
The NCAA also determined that ASU used one or more ineligible players during the 2021-22 season, resulting in the vacating of nine of the team’s 10 wins. ASU has also agreed to self-impose penalties, including a four-week ban on hosting recruits and a four-week ban on communication with recruits during the same period.
The penalties handed down to Arizona State are a significant blow to the program. The university is still reeling from the fallout of the recruiting violations that led to the firing of Edwards and the departure of Daniels. It remains to be seen how the program will recover from these latest setbacks.
