There’s no doubt the annual Territorial Cup between Arizona State and Arizona will heat up as the calendar draws closer to the fall but, for now, both Herm Edwards and Kevin Sumlin have been more than complimentary towards their in-state rival.
“I think it’s a great hire for Arizona,” Edwards said to Sports360AZ.com’s Brad Cesmat during an in-studio sit down last week. “He’s won a lot of football games as a coach. He’s a really good recruiter.”
Edwards believes adding another high-profile coach like Sumlin, who was officially introduced early last week, extends an already excellent list of coaches within the Pac-12.
Both Edwards and Sumlin have a long history dating back to when the new Wildcats’ coach did an internship under Edwards when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A noted public speaker, Edwards recently spoke to Sumlin’s Texas A&M squad while he was coaching the Aggies.
“I had him come speak to our football team two years ago,” Sumlin explained at his press conference when asked about Edwards and the rivalry. “He was a guy that I thought would come in and energize. He did a great job as an outside speaker.”
The duo will not only battle it out between the white lines later this year but on the recruiting trail in the coming years, as well.
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Eric Sorenson
A Valley native, Eric has had a passion for the Arizona sports scene since an early age. He has covered some of the biggest events including Super Bowls, national championships and the NBA and MLB playoffs in his near 20 years in local media.