I promise at some point that the Todd Graham stuff will die down. But as long as it's in the news, as a Pitt site, it's worth at least a mention.
Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated has his coaching hire grades and while he loves Pitt's pickup of Paul Chryst, he can't say the same for Arizona State chasing Graham.
Mandel says Pitt finally got it right with Chryst:Pittsburgh (Paul Chryst, Wisconsin offensive coordinator): A-
On the third try, Pitt got it right. The soft-spoken Madison native had a tremendous impact on the Badgers, particularly their quarterbacks, a sore spot for the Panthers the past several years. His smash-mouth approach fits well in the Steel City, and it helps that he's bringing renowned offensive line coach Bob Bostad with him.
If you've been reading this blog, you know I'm well on board with the Chryst hire and I think it's clearly the best of the three they've made in the last year or so.
But Stewie wasn't a fan of ASU's foray into the Todd Graham era:
Arizona State (Todd Graham, Pittsburgh head coach): D
Forget the unseemly way he exited Pitt. Why exactly is Graham is a hot commodity to begin with? It's certainly not due to his one 6-6 Big East season. He had three 10-win seasons at Tulsa, but much of the credit belongs to respected offensive coordinators Gus Malzahn and Chad Morris. His one season without either, he went 5-7. But perhaps his fourth dream job in six years will be the one.