5 Potential Head Coaches for Arizona State

Arizona State has fired Herm Edwards after a 1-2 start and amid NCAA violations. Here are five potential head coaches for Arizona State.

1. Matt Rhule

Matt Rhule is currently the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. His job has come into question, as he has a 10-25 record in three seasons in the NFL. After an 0-2 start, he may be moving closer to the chopping block. Rhule has proven to be a great college head coach at both Temple and Baylor. He has a 47-43 coaching record at the collegiate level, but is known for turning programs around.

His ability to build programs is why he should be one of Arizona State’s first calls. He had two wins in his first year at Temple, but in his last year the Owls won 10. In his first year at Baylor, they won one game. He left Baylor after winning 11 games in a season. Arizona State is in need of a rebuild and Rhule has recruiting ties across the country. If the Panthers fire Rhule, Arizona State could make a good hire in Rhule.

2. Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders has brought a lot of value to Jackson State and HBCU’s as a whole. He went 4-3 in his first season as head coach. In 2021, his second season, Sanders led the Tigers to an 11-2 record, which included a SWAC Championship and an appearance in the Celebration Bowl. So far this season, Sanders has won all three games.

Not only has Sanders coached well, he has recruited well. He has highly-ranked players choosing Jackson State over Alabama. Bringing that recruiting to Arizona State would be well worth it. Sanders may not want to leave a team that features his sons, but they could transfer to Arizona State to join him. The Sun Devils need to create some buzz around their football program and the hire of Sanders would do that.

3. Dan Mullen

Mullen is currently an analyst at ESPN. Before that, he was the head coach at Florida and Mississippi State. He had some job security at Mississippi State after posting a 69-46 career record, but decided to leave for Florida. Mullen was fired after going 34-15 in four seasons.

While that record at Florida will not fly, it will be more than welcomed at other places. Mullen has coached good offenses in the past and been able to get the most out of his talent at Mississippi State. Arizona State should call and see if he can do the same for them, as he would have some nice resources to utilize and an easier conference to coach in.

4. Bryan Harsin

Harsin has coached at Arkansas State, Boise State and Auburn with some success. At Arkansas State he went 7-5 in one season. In seven seasons at Boise State, Harsin had a 69-19 record and won double-digit games four different seasons. At Auburn, he went 6-7 last season and is 2-1 this year.

The question of whether Harsin has fit at Auburn has persisted since he has been hired. Rumors swirled this offseason. Whether he is fired or wants to leave on his own, Harsin’s long-term viability is in question. He has had success out west with Boise State and could bring that same level of success at Arizona State. The Sun Devils can get him and give him a better situation to coach in than he is in at Auburn.

5. Todd Monken

Monken has had some time in both the NFL and at the collegiate level. Currently, he is the offensie coordinator at Georgia, where he helped the Bulldogs win a National Championship. He also was an offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns. His lone head coaching job resulted in him turning around the Southern Miss program. He had one win in year one, three in year two and then had nine in year three before he left for the NFL in 2016.

What Monken has done with Georgia’s offense has been incredible. The defense will get the headlines, but the offense won a championship with a former walk-on, Stetson Bennett, at quarterback. He has recruiting ties around the country from his multiple stops in his football journey. Monken will get a college head coaching job at some point and could fit in well at Arizona State.

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