Arizona State Offers Houston's Kevin Sumlin Head Coaching Position

The Arizona State Sun Devils have set their sights on a new head football coach, offering Houston's Kevin Sumlin the position on Thursday.

ASU Closing In On Kevin Sumlin, Reports Flagship Station

It's been a busy day in the world of the college football coaching carousel and according to one report from a reliable source, Arizona State University is closing in on Kevin Sumlin before he can get off at another stop. Apologies for the mixed metaphors, but the story is pretty simply: Paul Calvisi, a reporter and broadcaster for KTAR radio, the flagship station of ASU, tweeted good news for fans who want to see Houston's Kevin Sumlin as the next head football coach of the Sun Devils.

Twitter / @PaulCalvisi: BREAKING NEWS: Multiple so ...
BREAKING NEWS: Multiple sources confirm ASU has made contact w/reps for Kevin Sumlin & they are "down the road." Ready to spend $2.5M per yr

Calvisi is not known to toss around ideal chatter so this report should be given some weight. It comes just hours after Washington State University introduced Mike Leach as their new coach. Leach signed a five-year deal worth $2.25 million per year plus incentives. 

According to this report, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said that the new TV deal will send $20m to each school in the conference which certainly helps universities like ASU afford top-notch coaching talent in a time when state budgets for education are being slashed.

For more on Sumlin and why he'd bee a good choice for ASU, read this article by SB Nation Arizona's, Brad Denny.

ASU Football Coaching Search: Noel Mazzone Being Pushed By Sun Devils Players

The Arizona St. Sun Devils are looking for a new head coach. Can the first hiring come from within?

Noel Mazzone came in this offseason to try and help out ASU's struggling offense. And lo and behold, the offense improved. Arizona State had a proficient offense this season with Brock Osweiler working under center and solid receiving play from names like Aaron Pflugrad, Mike Willie, and Gerrell Robinson.

With Dennis Erickson out, it appears the players are rallying around their offensive coordinator as their next head coach. Chris Karpman of ASUDevils.com reports.

Arizona State junior quarterback Brock Osweiler and a number of his teammates are scheduled to meet with Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love Thursday in support of offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone for the program's head coaching vacancy according to multiple team sources.

It would make sense in terms of continuity to try and keep Mazzone around. He knows the system, he knows the players, he knows the recruits. The Devils shouldn't drop off too much as a group offensively. But the big question is can he sustain success the longer his tenure goes? We all know how the Bill Stewart experiment went at West Virginia.

To discuss ASU football, head to House of Sparky.

ASU Football Coaching Search: Kevin Sumlin, Mike Leach Twitter Updates

Well, the fight is fast and fierce for new coaches across the country as ASU, UCLA, Washington State, Kansas, Penn State, Illinois, Ole Miss, and others are now ready to hire their saviors.

Here's what the Twitterverse is saying about the top two candidates in the college football universe, Mike Leach and Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin.

So, to recap: Washington State is aggressively pursuing all the best candidates while we're hearing of budgetary issues at ASU and UCLA is busy focusing on their "Rose Bowl bid" this weekend in Eugene. Will the Cougars snag the big kahuna?

ASU Begins Search For New Football Coach: Can AD Lisa Love Spend Enough To Get Her Guy?

The Arizona State Sun Devils are in the market for a new head football coach. They are one of three teams in the Pac-12 hunting for the next great guy and will also be competing with other schools like Penn St., Ole Miss, Kansas, Illinois and others. The competition for the top talent will be fierce and money will certainly be a factor.

ASU's Vice President for University Athletics,  Lisa Love, spoke with the media Monday and has been making the rounds on various local radio shows talking about the search she will now lead. While the early rumors say that ASU favors a younger candidate with head coaching experience, Love hasn't ruled out a coordinator looking for the big break.

"Head-coaching experience is very important, but that doesn't rule out possible diamonds that are in the wings ready to launch," Love told the Arizona Republic. "There are many out there that you have seen make a move from a coordinator position into a head-coaching position at various BCS (conference) institutions and did it beautifully."

At this point it seems too early to say if that's just an executive leaving her options open if if she would seriously consider a candidate with no experience in the big chair for such a prominent job. 

Money, of course, is also a factor. Hot candidate Kevin Sumlin from Houston will surely be getting calls from several schools and while ASU is a great destination, they will have to be competitive with their offer to land him.

The University of Arizona gave Rich Rodriquez got a five-year contract worth $9.55 million. Will Lisa Love be able to spend in that ballpark?

Here's what she said as reported by Arizona Sports.com's Adam Green:

"There's a balance there between being market savvy and being highly aggressive with who you are going to hire, but also being responsible so you're not going to an absurd level of expenditure, and I think we're all very, very mindful of the challenging state of our economy."

That's not a very definitive answer from Love but it's important to remember that she and ASU are subject to certain realities as a public university.

If the alumni want a top-notch football program they are going to have to step up and pay for it like they have at USC and Oregon. If fans want a better team, they have to show up for more than just the big games or when the team is winning. 

Love says there is no timeline for the search.

With Dennis Erickson Fired, Who Gets Your Vote?

Dennis Erickson Fired: Kevin Sumlin Mentioned As Primary ASU Coaching Candidate

Houston Cougars head coach Kevin Sumlin is going to be doing his best to sell high. At 12-0 (and likely to be 13-0 after the Conference USA championship), his stock will never be higher, and with Case Keenum on his way out the door, it makes no sense for him to stick around.

So of course the Arizona St. Sun Devils should be moving quick to strike for a new head coach. Justin Hopkins of 247 Sports reports that ASU is doing exactly that.

Who else could Arizona State hire? Doug Haller reports on some potential candidates, including Sumlin, but also Larry Fedora at Southern Miss, Justin Wilcox at Tennessee, Mark Helfrich at Oregon, and Ron English at Eastern Michigan.

There are lots of good guys out there for ASU, lots of young and talented individuals who will be in the running for the job. The Sun Devils need to choose wisely if they hope to prevent stagnation within their program.

To discuss who ASU should hire as their next head football coach, head to House of Sparky.

Decision 2012: ASU's Top 5 Coaching Candidates To Replace Dennis Erickson

Dennis Erickson's time in Tempe is nearly done. So who then should take the reigns at Arizona State? Here are five excellent choices.