After learning that former ASU football defensive coordinator Phil Bennett would no be making his way onto the Herm Edwards’ staff 10 days ago, the Sun Devils have found his replacement.
Reports from Sun Devil Source indicate that San Diego State defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales will move into the same role at Arizona State.
After serving on his alma mater, New Mexico’s, coaching staff as a defensive graduate assistant from 1999-2005, Gonzales began working with the Lobos’ safeties, punters, kickers and long snappers until 2008.
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Gonzales falls under the Rocky Long coaching tree. The current SDSU head man coached Gonzales at New Mexico, eventually placing him on his staff in Albuquerque. And when Long headed west in 2011 after getting the SDSU head job, Gonzales followed, coaching the team’s safeties.
The Sun Devils new hire doesn’t bring much experience to the position, though, as Gonzales’ 2017 defensive coordinating campaign was his first.
But in that season, Gonzales’ defense ranked 11th in the country in total defense, allowing just 18.4 points a game and 303.5 yards a game — 12.9 points and 143.5 yards fewer than what ASU averaged a year ago.
The Source article points out too that Gonzales’ scheme was very similar to what ASU ran last season — possibly making the coordinator transition easier for the current players.
"The Aztecs ran an attacking 3-3-5 defensive scheme, not too dissimilar from the Sun Devils ran under former coordinator Phil Bennett."
In his press conference Wednesday announcing the 11-man early signing period recruiting class, Edwards did say that he would have a defensive coordinator in place by the end of the week, and after this move, the defensive staff is starting to shape out.
On Thursday, Sun Devil Source also reported that former NFL player and Long Beach Poly High School head coach Antonio Pierce would become the Sun Devils’ linebackers coach.
Pierce had worked with Edwards at ESPN since 2010, but does not have any previous college coaching experience. Pierce stepped down from that position Thursday, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram, but an official announcement has yet to come.
As for the rest of the defensive staff, that remains to be seen.
San Diego State concludes its season Saturday as they take on Army in the Armed Forces Bowl. It is unclear if any of Gonzales’ assistants will make the move from San Diego to Tempe with him, but more information and an official announcement will likely come after the Aztecs’ bowl game.
But for now, Arizona State will head into its own bowl game — the Hyundai Sun Bowl against N.C. State — with at least its offensive staff in place.
After offensive coordinator Billy Napier left for the head coaching position at UL-Lafayette, it was announced that running backs coach John Simon and wide receivers coach Rob Likens would stay on staff.
Just a few days later, Likens was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Following Napier to Louisiana was offensive line coach Rob Sale, a position that Edwards filled Wednesday with the hire of former Wyoming head coach and Sun Devil staff consultant Dave Christensen.
“Dave Christensen always seems to surround himself with exciting offenses and offensive lines that move the football and protect the quarterback,” Edwards said in a statement about the hire.
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And the wide receivers coach duties that Likens handed over with his promotion to OC, Sun Devil Source reported Thursday that ASU is expected to hire Western Illinois head man Charlie Fisher to coach the group that Likens called his “babies” at the Wednesday press conference.