ASU Football: Edwards’ staff coming together after week of assistant coaching hires

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

After the unexpected departures of offensive and defensive coordinators Billy Napier and Phil Bennett last week, Arizona State’s new coaching staff is coming into focus after reports that the Sun Devils have hired Danny Gonzales to lead their defense in Herm Edwards’ first season in Tempe, as first reported by Footballscoop.

Gonzales, the current defensive coordinator at San Diego State, will come to ASU after a 7 year stint with SDSU. During his career with the Aztecs — he was hired as a safeties coach in 2011 before being promoted prior to this year — the team had the 3rd most interceptions in the country, consistently finished with one of the better pass defenses in the nation and won the Mountain West Conference three times.

Gonzales’ defense held ASU to just 20 points and 342 yards of offense in the Aztecs’ 30-20 win at Sun Devil Stadium back in September. The schools will face off again in San Diego 2018.

Gonzales is a disciple of SDSU head coach Rocky Long, having been on every one of Longs’ coaching staffs since 1999 when the two were at New Mexico, Gonzales’ alma mater.

Gonzales becomes just the latest of a string of hirings by Edwards, who had to restock his coaching staff after the surprise loses of Napier and Bennett.

“You want your coaches to elevate and have opportunities. That’s part of the deal,” Edwards said during a press conference on Wednesday. “The sad part for these high school young men, a lot of the times they go to a university because of the coach. I get that part. It’s kinda sad coaches elevate and leave. That’s why you better like the university.”

Joining Gonzales on the defensive side of the ball, the Sun Devils hired ex-NFL star Antonio Pierce on Friday to become their new linebackers coach. Pierce worked with Edwards at ESPN after retiring from the NFL, before spending the last 4 years as a high school head coach at Long Beach Poly in Southern California. He coached ASU junior defensive lineman JoJo Wicker in high school.

“Antonio has not only competed at the highest level of football as a linebacker himself in the NFL for nearly a decade, but he has also coached at the highest level of high school football in his time at Long Beach Poly,” Edwards said in a university released statement on Friday. “He will be a valuable addition to our staff and someone we expect to immediately have an impact on our program.”

Pierce commented on his excitement to join the program in the same statement: “My passion for football has guided me through life and having the chance to help develop and have an impact on the lives of young men is something I look forward to every day I come to work. I absolutely look forward to getting my feet on the ground in Tempe.”

On Wednesday, ASU added to its offensive staff after announcing former Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen as its new offensive line coach. Christensen, who was a consultant for the Sun Devils last year, amassed a 27-35 record during his 5 year tenure in Wyoming and had previously been an offensive coordinator at Toledo, Missouri and Utah.

“Dave Christensen always seems to surround himself with exciting offenses and offensive lines that move the football and protect the quarterback,” Edwards said in another statement. “He brings over 30 years of coaching pedigree to this program and I’m excited to get him back in an area where he has always found success.”

It was during his career in Missouri that Christensen met ASU’s newly-promoted offensive coordinator Rob Likens.

“He’s someone I have admired for a long time within this profession,” Likens said in the statement. “I once visited him at the University of Missouri and I knew then I wanted to someday work with him.  He possesses a wealth of experience on offensive line play and will assist with game-planning.”

With Likens transitioning from receivers coach to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, ASU has apparently filed the open void. Western Illinois (an FCS school) head coach Charlie Fisher will be on his way to Tempe, according to both SunDevilSource.com and DevilsDigest.com, who reported earlier this week that Fisher will be ASU’s next wide receivers coach.

Fisher and Likens have coached together before, when Likens was the receivers coach at Temple under then-offensive coordinator Fisher.

In two at Western Illinois, Fisher’s team went 14-9 and qualified for the FCS playoffs this season.

ASU also announced on Friday that Joe Connolly has been hired as the head coach of sports performance (strength and conditioning coach), luring him away from Massachusetts where he held the same position.

After all of this week’s hirings, here is how ASU’s 2018 coaching staff is shaping up, and which roles still need to be filled (*-indicates a reported hiring):

Head coach – Herm Edwards (1st year, previously: Kansas City Chiefs head coach, 2006-08)

Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach – Rob Likens (1st year in role, previously: ASU wide receivers coach, 2017)

Defensive coordinator – Danny Gonzales* (1st year, previously: San Diego State defensive coordinator and safeties coach 2011-17)

Running backs coach – John Simon (3rd year)

Receivers coach – Charlie Fisher* (1st year, previously: Western Illinois head coach, 2016-17)

Offensive line coach – Dave Christensen (1st year, previously: ASU consultant, 2017)

Defensive line coach – unfilled

Linebackers coach – Antonio Pierce (1st year, previously: Long Bach Poly High School head coach, 2014-17)

Defensive backs coach – unfilled

Special teams coach – unfilled

10th coaching spot – unfilled (schools cannot hire a 10th coach until January 9, 2018)

Sports performance – Joe Connolly

 

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