ASU New Coach - Todd Graham from Pitt

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Well, Graham just pony'd up a $500K donation for the Sun Devil Stadium project. http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...am-make-gifts-to-stadium-remodeling/15677303/

Guess he ain't leaving anytime soon eh?

Not saying he's going to leave but Sean Miller gave $250k to UofA in 2010 and had his bags packed for Maryland in 2011 before their AD stuffed his face with a cheeseburger during their interview and turned off Miller.

These things are pretty common in college sports. It's done to fire up the plebs and reduce your average NCAA coach's very sizable tax hit.

 

[Absolute Zero]

Not saying he's going to leave but Sean Miller gave $250k to UofA in 2010 and had his bags packed for Maryland in 2011 before their AD stuffed his face with a cheeseburger during their interview and turned off Miller.

These things are pretty common in college sports. It's done to fire up the plebs and reduce your average NCAA coach's very sizable tax hit.

...or to lessen the impending guilt entailed in fleeing Tucson.

I'm kidding! I think.

 

[Iceman]

This just made me a even bigger fan of Graham. He is doing everything right and a damn good coach, IMO

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

Graham isnt going anywhere for awhile especially after throwing down serious $$ for Bret Michaels house in the Pinnacle Peak area.

 

[TJ]

Graham isnt going anywhere for awhile especially after throwing down serious $$ for Bret Michaels house in the Pinnacle Peak area.

So (hypothetically), if Florida fires Muschamp, calls CTG, and offers him $3.75mil/season for five years to coach, he's going to say "no" because of his "loyalty" to ASU?

Sorry, don't buy it. In college athletics, coaches are only as loyal as their options.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I'm not naive enough to think Sean Miller would say no to a UNC or Kentucky. He might but he certainly might not.

Reality is nobody has tried to lure Todd Graham away from Tempe. And only NC State and Maryland have made a run at Sean Miller. Not comparing the two situations because Arizona Basketball is higher up on the totem pole in hoops than ASU is in football (and MIller has accomplished much more in less time as a coach) but it makes us feel special as fans to pretend our coach is in high demand. But in reality the amount of elite/blue-blood type schools that have tried to hire each coach amounts to zero. These guys aren't Calipari or Nick Saban quite yet.

 

[Absolute Zero]

So (hypothetically), if Florida fires Muschamp, calls CTG, and offers him $3.75mil/season for five years to coach, he's going to say "no" because of his "loyalty" to ASU?

Sorry, don't buy it. In college athletics, coaches are only as loyal as their options.

No, because his wife's parents live in the Phoenix area. That is a huge factor. If he can't keep her happy, ain't nobody happy.

 

[Jay Cardinal]

There is always a chance he could leave, but the ASU job and his performance is looking pretty good so far. Team on the rise with one of the best offenses in the country the last few years, destroyed UA two years in a row, played in the PAC-12 championship, won PAC-12 coach of the year, brought in our best recruiting class in years, performed well in our key recruiting market (S. California), got a massive extension and raise for himself and his offensive coordinator, and lives near his wife's family.

I know he left Tulsa and Pitt, but did he have any (and much less all) of the above things going for him at either of those jobs? I think he stays for the long term, with Texas being the one job could possibly lure him away in the future.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

There is always a chance he could leave, but the ASU job and his performance is looking pretty good so far. Team on the rise with one of the best offenses in the country the last few years, destroyed UA two years in a row, played in the PAC-12 championship, won PAC-12 coach of the year, brought in our best recruiting class in years, performed well in our key recruiting market (S. California), got a massive extension and raise for himself and his offensive coordinator, and lives near his wife's family.

I agree with all of the above, but until a blue blood comes calling with their extra millions and a fertile recruiting base within a stone's throw away you never know. ASU has lost coaches before, Cooper to Ohio State once upon a time and athletic directors every couple years to larger programs. You just have to hope that one Graham wins enough to attract attention at such a job and two that he takes considerably less money and signs on to work that much harder to stay.

Lute Olson said no to Kentucky twice so it's definitely possible.

I know he left Tulsa and Pitt, but did he have any (and much less all) of the above things going for him at either of those jobs? I think he stays for the long term, with Texas being the one job could possibly lure him away in the future.

Pitt is a comparable job as ASU, he just didn't want to live in Pennsylvania. Just the same there's definitely more desirable places to live across the country than Phoenix.

Fact is that Graham hasn't won enough at ASU to warrant consideration for these jobs and nobody even including Graham himself knows what he will say until that happens.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

Graham isnt going anywhere for awhile especially after throwing down serious $$ for Bret Michaels house in the Pinnacle Peak area.

This. He's also completely overhauled the locker room and made many changes in the program; including a heavy push for renovations to SDS that are currently being worked on; which lead me to believe he's here for the long run. The program in many ways is night and day from the Erickson years. I was one who screamed the loudest about this guy's lack of loyalty, citing that he'd jump at the first enticing opportunity that came his way, however I may have been wrong in judgment.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

He has one year coaching at a BCS school and winds up win six wins, same as Erickson. June Jones would of been a better hire. What I like is Rodriguez took many of his assistants. He also seems to like to switch jobs, that is what I would be worried about besides his lack of coaching at a major school.

Hindsight is 20-20, however I don't think anyone still thinks Jones would have been better now.

 

[TucsonDevil]

Personally, I hope CTG considers leaving to a better situation. There are only about 20-25 of those in the country, so he is going to have to operate at a high level at ASU to warrant offers from them.

Let's just be crazy for a second - if CTG takes ASU to the playoffs this year, or next - it is the football equivalent to a Final Four for Basketball. Lute figured something out when Kentucky came calling - he could get everything he wanted in Tucson, and instead of being another link on a chain - he would be the chain. I believe CTG would consider the same points. ASU is next to California, close to Texas, has Nationally respected programs on the schedule every year (USC, Oregon) in a strong conference, and his family is comfortable - and if he happens to win a National Championship - he is on the Mt Rushmore of ASU forever. That is very hard to walk away from - even if it is Tennessee, Michigan, or Oklahoma St. calling on the phone.

I also have a suspicion that he wants to eliminate the talk behind his back of being a job-hopper.

 

[Absolute Zero]

Check out the love Graham gets from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, in response to a question from Berco nonetheless at Superbowl Media day.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...riots-belichick-big-fan-asus-graham/22436601/

"I love Coach Graham," Belichick said. "Coach Graham does a great job. He's a good friend of mine. I really respect the job he's done with this program. I've never been to a quarterback meeting with Coach Graham, but I imagine he's pretty demanding. If I know Coach, he's pretty demanding."

Even better, Belichick said he personally takes scouting trips to Tempe just to visit with Graham, often relegating his underlings elsewhere. They share a defensive background and the pursuit of excellence, and an ASU representative said they talk on the phone all the time.

(He) probably doesn't get enough credit for the job that he's done at Arizona State since he's been there," Belichick said. "He's one of the best coaches in college football."

 

[Mainstreet]

Check out the love Graham gets from Patriots head coach , in response to a question from Berco nonetheless at Superbowl Media day.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...riots-belichick-big-fan-asus-graham/22436601/

It's always good to hear compliments about coach Todd Graham from such a prominent coach as Bill Belichick. Too bad this deflated football issue is this going on with the Patriots.

 

[Absolute Zero]

Kind of Ironic, isn't it. Graham preaches "win the right way", and BB has a bad rep in that regard

 

[Mainstreet]

Kind of Ironic, isn't it. Graham preaches "win the right way", and BB has a bad rep in that regard

I don't know about that, but...

Doug Haller @DougHaller · 3h 3 hours ago

Heard Arizona State coach Todd Graham visited Patriots practice today.