Florida State Head Coach Mike Norvell
The odds seem to like the idea of Norvell to Arizona State, but I personally don’t see it. He seems to be settling in at Florida State nicely in 2022 after a rocky start where he went 8-13 between 2020 and 2021. The one caveat that I think could bring Norvell to Tempe is if they throw a long-term bag at him. If the Sun Devils offer him a five- or six-year deal around $65 million, then it’d be tough to say no. Again, I don’t see it, but college football is a wild world.
Former Texas Head Coach Tom Herman
While there are probably better candidates for this job, I think Herman makes the most sense. He’s had lots of success in roles as a head coach and even as a coordinator. Before Houston, he coached quarterbacks at Ohio State, where he mentored Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, and J.T. Barrett. As a head coach, Herman has a record of 54-22 and is 5-0 in bowl games. He’s currently working as an analyst for CBS, but he’s way too talented to not be coaching. The Pac-12 is ripe for a hostile takeover and with him at ASU, he could execute it. Okay. Cool. Hook ’em.
Auburn Head Coach Bryan Harsin
Bryan Harsin’s seat at Auburn is scalding hot. While he was impressive at Boise State where he complied a record of 69-19, he’s been a bit of a dud at Auburn. In his first season with the Tigers, he went 6-7 and lost in the Birmingham Bowl. The shelf life for unsuccessful coaches in the SEC is a short one, and the Tigers are 2-1 to start this season with wins over Mercer and San Jose State. When they encountered a ranked opponent, they got trounced by Penn State. Harsin will probably be out of a job by the season’s end and could rebound at Arizona State.
Georgia Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken
With the amount of success Georgia has had the past two years, they may need a whole new staff. Defensive coordinator Dan Lanning took the Oregon job after leading one of the best defenses of the past twenty years. Now it might be time for Todd Monken to return as a head coach. The offense in Athens is much better than last season, and he’s made a major impact on former walk-on Stetson Bennett. From 2013 to 2015, Monken coached Southern Miss and, in his final season, posted a 9-5 record. He won’t be a quick fix in Tempe, but he’ll be a solid coach to bring the program back.
Former Florida Head Coach Dan Mullen
I brought up Mullen’s name for the Nebraska job because he’s a good coach that shouldn’t be working as an analyst. A dying program like Arizona State could use Mullen’s recruiting expertise and experience. He has a 7-3 record in bowl games and a career record of 103-61. Mullen is also very good at getting players to the NFL. In his four years at Florida, he had 23 players get drafted and multiple others sign to NFL rosters. If I’m Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson, I’m making a call to Mullen immediately.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich
Byron Leftwich was a mediocre professional quarterback, but he has one of the best offensive minds in all of football. He’s spent time on the Cardinals’ and Buccaneers’ staffs as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator between 2016 to now, and I think a collegiate head coaching job is perfect for him. I’m not sure how he’ll be as a recruiter, but I’m sure he’ll be able to develop the Sun Devils into a middle-of-the-pack team in his first year.
Carolina Panthers Head Coach Matt Rhule
I brought his name up when the Nebraska job opened up, and I’ll bring it up again. Like I mentioned prior, sometimes the NFL isn’t for everyone. Rhule has seen success at the college ranks with both Baylor and Temple. He has a knack for reviving dead programs, and there are few programs struggling more than Arizona State. He’s off to an 0-2 start with the Carolina Panthers in 2022, and I predict he’ll be on the streets by the season’s end.
Air Force Head Coach Troy Calhoun
While it will be difficult to get Calhoun to leave his alma mater, Arizona State should definitely give him a call. He’s amassed a 113-76 record with the Falcons and has a 6-5 record in bowl games. What shouldn’t be lost here is that he’s doing this at a military academy. This means that recruiting is a bit more challenging, and he’s finding ways to succeed. It’s definitely worth bringing him in for an interview to gage his interest.
Alabama Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien
As more and more college head coaching jobs open up, Bill O’Brien will become more and more coveted. I think that the Nebraska job is more suitable for O’Brien because he’s proved to be efficient in the Big Ten prior, but if they fill that job, then Tempe is a fine landing spot for the Alabama offensive coordinator. While it’ll be tough to leave Nick Saban’s hip, O’Brien deserves to be a collegiate head coach. His qualifications and experience speak for themselves.
Former Virginia Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall
I LOVED Bronco Mendenhall at Virginia, and I thought it was a shame that he stepped back from football after the 2021 season. In his seventeen years as a head coach at BYU and Virginia, Mendenhall has a 135-81 record with a mark 7-7 in bowl games. I’ve said this about Mullen and Herman, and I think the same about Mendenhall–he’s way too talented to not be the head coach of a team. He’s proven to have long-term success and, while it could take time to build the program back, he’ll make steady progress.
Colorado State Head Coach Jay Norvell
When it came to the Nebraska job, I mentioned that many guys in contention need to make a vertical career move. Norvell has coached at two MWC schools in Nevada and Colorado State and has a record of 33-29. While his record at Colorado State may not look great right now, it’s not due to his coaching, it’s due to the fact that their roster doesn’t have much talent because it’s not Norvells recruits. Jumping ship from Fort Collins after one season would be a tough, but the Arizona State job is a vertical career move. I don’t think this should be the first call the Sun Devils make, but he could be a good fallback.