Hall of Fame sports executive Jerry Colangelo once told me how he had a card with five names and numbers for the next head coach or general manager in a desk drawer. He’d update it each time he made a hire. Pretty smart stuff. I want to pass that little bit of advice on to Arizona State. Herm was shown the permanent transfer portal on September 18th. Monday, it came out that the hometown university hired a search firm less than two weeks before the T-Cup. Search firms are like media consultants. Those who can “do” and those who can’t “consult.” A head football coach at the college level shouldn’t have to be found through a firm if you have enough of the right people in place. The search should never be over. But, here we are.
Former University of Texas head coach Tom Herman is a name that came across my desk earlier this week. He’s with the Chicago Bears in an analyst spot. Herman, Jim Mora Jr. Jamey Chadwell are fine enough names for the Arizona State job, but so is Shaun Aguano. I’ve never seen a more complex situation than what we currently have in Tempe. NCAA investigation, eventual NCAA punishment, possible new athletic director, possible new conference, possible new men’s basketball coach hire in 2023, paying off previous head football coaches, playing catchup on the NIL Collective, and I’m sure that there’s some that I’m forgetting(or wish I could forget). If the program had self-sanctioned a year ago and not gone to the Las Vegas Bowl, I might be able to see out of the smoke and embers and believe a turnaround could happen in a calendar year. But, they had to play Wisconsin in a forgettable showing other than Javiers for dinner at the Aria.
This leads me to Jedd Fisch. The day he was named head coach of the Wildcats, an Arizona State official told me, “we were really worried that they’d take Antonio Pierce. That would’ve been really bad for us”. Ok…
So, all Fisch has done is revive the absolute worst program in D1 after Kevin Sumlin(people forget ASU wanted Sumlin before he went to Tucson) ran it into the ground. I seldom root, but I hope for Arizona to beat Washington State this Saturday. I want the T-Cup to mean something a week from Friday. If the Wildcats beat WSU than an Arizona win would put them into a bowl game, an ASU win, and they eliminate the Wildcats from the postseason. Shaun Aguano has the T-Cup as his Hail Mary for the job. If Fisch wins his next two, he should get Pac-12 coach of the year consideration. Drama around the game rather than two average teams playing for “bragging rights”…
I like standing on the grass fields at high school football games in the Chandler Unified School District. I hear that it is going to end after this season. Turf is coming…
Show of hands in the Arizona high school coaching, administrators, parents, and players if you want MaxPreps to determine who should be in the playoffs vs the AIA? Yep, I heard from a bunch of unhappy folks this week about the Open bracket, etc. David Hines is a good man with a tough, tough job…
Hearty congrats to former Hamilton and Arizona State coach John Wrenn, who found out last week he’s going into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame next year. Had a good chat with John. More to come…
I’m not pushing panic buttons over Arizona State losing to Texas Southern on the basketball court. It’s a new world in college basketball thanks to the portal. No way we are seeing the finished product in mid-November. GCU and Arizona have had their slow spots in the first week of games as well. I’m looking at the product, not the final score. ASU is playing without Marcus Bagley right now because of a hip pointer. Not an easy injury to manage when the team is playing on the road…
Congrats to Eno Benjamin! Going home probably never felt so good…
If you’re in the camp of the Cardinals moving on from Kyler Murray, that’s a “you” problem…
The Suns trading Jae Crowder in November makes no sense other than it fills a segment for radio talk show hosts a couple of times per week, there’s nothing smart about trading Crowder until mid-January at the earliest, unless someone blows them away…
If I don’t see Chris Paul on the basketball court until February 15th, I’m good. 1-3 road trips through Florida in November don’t mean much, if anything…
Brandon Huffman on Pac-12 recruiting: Time for USC and Oregon to panic(?) over key prospects while Arizona lands an edge rusher
Wilner Hotline – Shifting fortunes in the desert: ASU’s success looks fleeting while Arizona regains momentum
