The Arizona Wildcats and Arizona State Sun Devils have both found the next head coach to lead each of their football programs for (hopefully) the foreseeable future. While the hiring of Rich Rodriguez in Tucson seemed relatively quick and painless, the hiring of Todd Graham was much more drawn out and featured an ugly exit from Pittsburgh.
While many of those in Tempe have different views of coach Graham, the view from the UA and Tucson is seemingly in unison: we love it.
While Rich Rodriguez brings some baggage along with him -- most notably his NCAA practice violations and sudden exit from West Virginia -- just about every media outlet in the country viewed the hiring as a good one. The same could not be said for Todd Graham, who was called a 'coward' for his actions in the last 48 hours. One of his former players, wide receiver Devin Street, even went on to say this:
"He told me he's here to stay," Street said. "He said he wanted to make me the best player he can.
"It's all a lie. It's been all a lie this whole time. Everything he told us has been a lie."
ASU will be Graham's fourth coaching stop in six years and just about everyone in the country -- including potential recruits -- will learn of this very soon, if they haven't already. As Rich-Rod and the Arizona coaching staff attempt to rebuild the program, Wildcat fans have to think they will use Graham's shady past to our advantage.
The hiring of the coach Graham also adds an intriguing twist to the Duel In The Desert. Coach Rodriguez brought three Pitt coaches to Tucson along with him, something the former-Panther coach was reportedly not happy with. Graham also coached linebackers under Rich-Rod in 2001, which brings an intriguing master-and-apprentice theme to the annual rivalry game.
It remains to be seen what Graham does with the Sun Devils and their football program, but just a few days into it, Arizona Wildcat fans are happy with the hire.