Report: Memphis to hire Mike Norvell as head football coach

Memphis has reportedly hired Arizona State offensive coordinator Mike Norvell as their next head coach.

The Memphis Tigers have found their next head coach. After Justin Fuente left the program to become the next head coach of the Virginia Tech Hokies, the Tigers were in need of another head coach to expand on the great season that the program had.

According to Pete Thamel, it appears that the Tigers had an offensive coach on their minds, as the team has apparently decided on the Arizona State Sun Devils’ offensive coordinator Mike Norvell.

Norvell had spent his time under Arizona State head coach Todd Graham calling the plays. His career in Arizona State started off with praise, as the Sun Devils had a successful offense in his first three years with the school and many thought he would eventually get a head coaching opportunity.

This past season didn’t go as he or many expected for the Sun Devils. After plenty of preseason hype, the Sun Devils fell flat on their face to a 6-6 season. Many criticized Norvell for his play calling, citing his constant read-option plays designed for quarterback Mike Bercovici, when it was very clear that Bercovici was just not a read-option quarterback.

Still, what he did in his prior seasons as the head coach of the Sun Devils have apparently impressed Memphis enough to make him the next head coach of their program. It’s going to look a lot different in Memphis, with Fuente gone and Paxton Lynch headed to the NFL Draft.

Norvell will have his work cut out for him at Memphis early on into his head coaching career, but if he can call plays like he did early in his tenure with the Arizona State Sun Devils, then he should stand a strong chance of succeeding with the Tigers.