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Report: Arizona State coach Todd Graham thinks he’ll be fired

By Brad Berreman

TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 28: Head coach Todd Graham of Arizona State looks at the scoreboards while standing on the sidelines against Southern California at Sun Devil Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - OCTOBER 28: Head coach Todd Graham of Arizona State looks at the scoreboards while standing on the sidelines against Southern California at Sun Devil Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
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Despite a bit of a resurgence for his team this year, Arizona State head coach Todd Graham may not have his job much longer.

With an 11-14 record during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Arizona State head coach Todd Graham entered this year firmly on the hot seat. The Sun Devils are bowl eligible, at 6-5 entering Saturday’s game against rival Arizona. But that doesn’t appear to be enough to save Graham’s job.

According to Dan Wolken of USA Today, Graham thinks he will be fired regardless of the result on Saturday (17-13 in favor of Arizona as of this writing, approaching halftime). Beyond that, there’s this tidbit from Wolken’s piece, starting with the sources citing Graham’s fear over his status.

"Those people spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. A third person with knowledge of the situation said top-level staffers at Arizona State have been actively preparing for a coaching search this week."

A win over Arizona would give Arizona State a 7-5 record, and they’ll have a winning mark in Pac-12 play for the first time since 2014, win or lose. An Oct. 14 win over Washington would also typically stand to give a coach a measure of job security, to say nothing of Graham’s $12 million buyout and three years left on his contract.

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin could be on Arizona State’s radar to replace Graham, if he becomes available as expected, along with Vanderbilt head coach (and Phoenix native) Derek Mason. Wolken also suggests athletic director Ray Anderson is known to be intrigued by candidates with NFL ties, specifically including Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Michigan passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton.

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Graham has not been able to keep up the momentum he built early in his tenure, with a 28-12 record over his first three seasons (2012-2014) and two 10-win seasons. So it might be time for a change in Tempe, and all signs point to a new football coach being in place soon.

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