Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce handed 8-year NCAA show-cause order for recruiting violations with ASU

Even though he is an NFL head coach now with the Las Vegas Raiders, the chance of former ASU defensive coordinator and associate head coach Antonio Pierce deciding to return to college football is slim to none after the NCAA penalized him significantly for recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NCAA announced Thursday morning that Pierce received an eight-year show-cause order for “a program-wide effort to engage in impermissible recruiting activities during the COVID-19 dead period.” The organization also stated former staff member Anthony Garnett got a five-year show-cause order as well.

According to the NCAA, Pierce himself was involved in the violations during the COVID-19 dead period. He gave prospects and their families apparel, airfare, free meals, tryouts, tours and more.

Eight players who had committed to ASU were ruled ineligible during the investigation.

“Several members of the coaching staff indicated during their interviews with enforcement staff that Pierce ‘ran the show’ within the Arizona State football program, and they feared that not complying with Pierce’s directives would result in losing their jobs,” the announcement said.

After Arizona State was already under investigation and eventually punished by the NCAA for recruiting violations while former head coach Herm Edwards was at the helm, Edwards was dealt a five-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA and he has not been back in college football since.

The Sun Devils as a program was penalized with four years of probation, recruiting restrictions, fewer scholarships, forced to vacate each game an ineligible player played in and received an undisclosed fine. ASU imposed a one-year bowl ban on itself last season.

While Pierce and Edwards were both at ASU together, the Sun Devils went on to go 25-18 and won the 2019 Sun Bowl over Florida State, 20-14. Pierce was hired by Arizona State on Dec. 21, 2017, as linebackers coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2021.

Pierce resigned from his role at ASU before the 2022 season began.

He is currently coaching the Raiders and has no affiliation with college football at the moment, so the major punishment practically only affects him if he returns to the world of the NCAA.

The California native took the linebackers coaching job in Las Vegas in 2022, became the interim head coach in 2023 and was officially named the Raiders’ head coach this year. Las Vegas is 2-2 on the season and he is 7-6 as the team’s head coach overall.