Todd Graham had a flight to catch and a press conference to get to on Wednesday morning, resulting in a hastily assembled text message to his players at Pitt and a somewhat messy departure. It was just under a year ago that Graham took the Pitt job, but it didn’t take him long to flee town for the head coaching position at Arizona State. And just hours after Graham resigned from Pitt, he was introduced as the Sun Devils’ next head coach at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Todd Graham Introduced As Arizona State Head Coach
Graham was the only person offered the job, university president Michael Crow said, hoping to dispel some of the ‘myths’ of the Sun Devils’ coaching search. Athletic director Lisa Love also felt Graham would treat Arizona State as a destination, not another jumping off point as he hopes between jobs. The Sun Devils head coaching job will be Graham’s fourth in the last six years, though Love was confident he will be a long-term fit.
Concerning the way he left Pitt, Graham expressed regret, wishing he could have met with the team to inform them of his decision. He was also aware of how his job-hopping could affect his reputation, but was hoping to build the trust of the university, fans and recruits back up.
And yes, “high octane offense” made an appearance repeatedly during the press conference. Graham is excited to hop in his ‘87 Firebird of an offense, saying he plans to “put it in the left lane, hammer down, and we won’t let up.”
For more on Graham and the Sun Devils, visit House of Sparky and SB Nation Arizona.
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