Wow. Lots to respond to. Instead of quoting, I'll use bullet points and paraphrase:
- Sorry, 82, this class is not even in the Top 5 all-time ASU classes. I would rank them this way: 1982, 1971, 1977, 1983, 1993. All of those classes were ranked highly (by loose and varied metrics of the day). The 1983 class was considered by some national experts as the best in the country at the time, and it was what produced the '86 Rose Bowl team that was arguably one of the most talented in Pac history. This class, when it's finished will probably end up ranked between #17 and #21, and maybe finishes Top 3 in the conference. ASU is nearly done (they have four scholarships left). They can't move up any more slots in Rivals even with the four-star linemen they have on the hook, They can only fall as other teams fill out their classes. The other two recognized systems ASU is about where they'll finish. USC and UCLA still have some major recruits out there. They will leap frog ASU.
- Uh, Oklahoma State would be a big step up because they could pay him $4 mil+ a year and give all of his assistants humongous pay raises. They have T. Boone Pickens money, and if Graham has a home outside of Texas, it's really Oklahoma. It's more likely Oklahoma State would try to go after bigger fish than Graham wouldn't want to coach there. Pickens' contributions to that program make Oregon look pedestrian. By the end of this decade it will account for about $1 billion aggregate to the athletic department. If they wanted Graham badly enough, they'd buy his family a plane so he could fly his wife back and forth to Arizona. Seriously don't want that school sniffing around Tempe.
- Norvell spoke to Arkansas State about their job opening. It's the new Cradle of Coaches, having produced in succession Gus Malzahn, Hugh Freeze and Bryan Harsin with their first head coaching jobs. Harsin quickly returned to Boise to take over the BSU program, and Arkansas State doesn't care because they just won another conference championship. Norvell is a Central Arkansas alum and knows the area. For Norvell, the meeting was essentially to establish a pay grade, and he went back to ASU and got the program in the ballpark. Ark. State was probably in the $750K to $850K base range. Norvell's getting $750K to stay at ASU, and it gets a silly new job title to raise his stature. If Graham does stay, expect Norvell to take the next best job. I'm predicting it will be Tulsa in two years, when Graham's old assistant coach Bill Blankenship either gets fired or recovers after a down year (he was 11-3 in 2012). Privately, I think the backup plan was to hire Major Applewhite if Norvell left, but no one's talking about it because ASU can't afford to lose Chip Long. Chip Long, at the moment, is ASU's most important staffer. He's also going to get a very big pay raise and possible a silly new title. He wants to be the OC. He rebuffed Sarkisian's overtures at USC. I think this may be his last year at ASU, and in fact I think ASU's going to have a hard time keeping him after the signing period. I foresee Texas or one of the SEC programs throwing a lot of money at him.
