Dec. 10, 2012
With Tommy Tuberville departing to take over at Cincinnati, Texas Tech announced Monday that offensive line coach Chris Thomsen will lead the Red Raiders in the Meinke Car Care Bowl of Texas.
Cue the latest the Todd Graham connection.
Graham hired Thomsen away from Division II Abilene Christian to be his running backs coach last December, two days after accepting the top job at ASU. Thomsen only lasted a little more than six weeks, though, as he bolted to take the offensive line position under Tuberville in early February.
Thomsen's departure opened up a position on staff that ASU filled with former Memphis coach Larry Porter. Graham had contacted Porter early in the process of building his ASU staff, but Porter recalls that he was not yet ready for another job after being dismissed at his alma mater. Porter was ready on the second offer, however, and brought a highly regarded recruiting pedigree to Graham's staff.
Thomsen's quick exit also created a bit of a stir in ASU's recruiting class. Prized recruit D.J. Foster signed with ASU on National Signing Day, Feb. 1. The same day, he heard Thomsen was leaving. Having been told by Graham that Thomsen wouldn't be his position coach, Foster didn't take the news well at first.
"I didn't really know how to take that," Foster said in a September interview with FOXSportsArizona.com. "I didn't know if I was being lied to the whole time. I was kind of upset and frustrated. I just felt like I kind of got cheated."
Foster's father offered another perspective: Perhaps ASU would find an even better fit for the running backs position. It seems Porter's presence has worked well for everyone, as Foster earned All-Pac-12 honors as well as freshman All-American recognition.
But the wrinkles don’t end at Texas Tech. At Cincinnati, Tuberville replaces Butch Jones, who left to take over at Tennessee last week. Jones and Graham served on the same West Virginia staff in 2005 -- Graham as defensive coordinator and Jones as wide receivers coach -- under current Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez.
And the coaching web could grow even bigger soon. Avalanche Star Journal writer Nick Kosmider reported Monday that Texas Tech planned to interview Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris to replace Tuberville. Morris was Graham's offensive coordinator at Tulsa in 2010 and could become the second former Graham OC to land a head coaching job in as many weeks after Auburn's hiring of Gus Malzahn, Morris' predecessor at Tulsa.
-- Tyler Lockman
