Todd Grahm leaves Pitt for ASU

Submitted by The Baughz on
Its all over twitter and espn. Im on my phone so cant post the links from twitter.

justingoblue

December 14th, 2011 at 1:05 PM ^

Mark me down as another one that is furious. This is just...wow. I can't even describe it.

Edit: With all of the joking about how people should become Arizona season ticket holders after RR got the job there, I sincerely want him to beat ASU by triple digits yearly if Graham took the job there. That will actually be a game I watch from here on out, if only in hopes of seeing Graham's soul crushed annually.

CRex

December 14th, 2011 at 1:11 PM ^

For the good of blood pressure, learn not to take Pitt ball too seriousily.  Yes every year they'll look good.  They'll have a stud player (Larry Fitzgerald, HB Blades, etc).  That one guy you think can compensate for some other glaring weakness.  Maybe you'll even pick off ND early in the year or almost beat them.

You'll tell yourself things like "Palko isn't that bad, he's mobile after all..".  You'll rationalize.  You'll make deals like 9 wins (including the Backyard Brawl) will get you a decent bowl.  Then suddenly it is late November and you're still fighting to get eligible for the Tire Bowl.

Pitt football is only going to hurt you.  

justingoblue

December 14th, 2011 at 1:14 PM ^

Enrolled in 2008, and since then we've been one game away from the BCS twice (2008 and 2009) only to lose to Cincinnati both years and WVU 1/2.

Since 2009 it's been even worse, dropping our third Backyard Brawl in a row and going to two BBVA Compass Bowls, plus now apparently going on our fourth coaching staff in three years.

justingoblue

December 14th, 2011 at 1:27 PM ^

I transferred in 2010, but my Facebook (probably like any other Pitt student) is a mix of 25% people that really care: these are Pittsburgh natives or people from out of state, usually, and 75% people who show up to Heinz if ND/Iowa/WVU is in town or Pitt is ranked pretty well, these are typical apathetic non-sports fans (or people who don't know we have a football team and are wondering when they can start camping out at Peterson for the basketball opener) and people who grew up on another school.

So...your friends are probably closer to the norm than, say, Michigan students if Hoke left to go coach New Mexico State, in my opinion.

profitgoblue

December 14th, 2011 at 2:00 PM ^

I graduated from Pitt in 2001 and have to say that football games are somewhat enjoyable.  They suck now though that they moved games to Heinz Field (off-campus).  But I just don't understand the move from Pitt to ASU one bit.  Pitt has better tradition and Western PA has a ton of football talent.  Unless the move was for money, it seems silly to me.  Plus, to go to a school that will see a bunch of his assistants facing him is just weird.

profitgoblue

December 14th, 2011 at 2:17 PM ^

I didn't catch the part about having family out there.  Although, I used to always say that in job interviews in places that I have "family" - that included distant, distant cousins - because it makes you look more desirable and likely to stay in the area if you move there.  I think Graham took a page out of the profitgoblue interviewing book.

 

MGoSteelers

December 14th, 2011 at 7:08 PM ^

He claimed to have family in Pittsburgh too.  This is his 4th school in 6 years, he's always trying to move up the ladder (though this seems like a lateral move at best).

Pitt players were calling him a flat out liar in a couple tweets today.  Read the espn blog post about it for a well informed read--sorry no link, it's on the espn frontpage though.

FrankMurphy

December 14th, 2011 at 1:08 PM ^

I'm sorely tempted to post a lengthy thread about all of the RichRod-related storylines that will dominate the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry for years to come given that Gibson and Dews and Magee are now at Airzona and that they now work for RR and that they used to work for Graham at Pitt and... HEAD ASPLODE

profitgoblue

December 14th, 2011 at 4:16 PM ^

IMO he's an average coach, at best!  He's like that somewhat good-looking girl that you're dating who tells you she's done with you and goes to date someone lesser.  After a few days, you get pissed, not because she left you but because you finally realized how not great she really is/was.  That's the worst kind of breakup sorrow - the kind where you wish you would have been the first to leave.

CRex

December 14th, 2011 at 1:04 PM ^

If Graham installs a passing based offense for the sole purpose of beating Arizona every year, that will be the greatest commentary on Gibson to date.  

BlueVoix

December 14th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^

There really is some great storylines there now.  Graham gets to play and recruit against three of his former assistant coaches in the state's largest rivalry?  The producers at ESPN just had to fan themselves.

justingoblue

December 14th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^

HC at Pitt (hired in January 2011), formerly HC of Tulsa and other various stops before that. Known for a no-huddle passing spread, also known for allowing Tino Sunseri to play football at a college level when two halfbacks would be a better solution or a random internet user would get sacked less.

GatorBlue

December 14th, 2011 at 3:11 PM ^

Graham is a defensive guy.  He's also high energy.  I've heard him speak at clinics and he's crazy.  I'd like to say things wil heat up in the PAC-12 with RRod and him taking over the instate battle of 'Zona but no one really cares.  It does have potential for those two programs to be relevant which is what they both aspire to be.  Look at Stanford five years ago.  They were just another team on the schedule for USC and Oregon.

 

We're talking about it so it's at least a tad bit interesting.