The Arizona State Sun Devils have a new head football coach. Dennis Erickson, currently the head coach at Idaho, has been offered the job and has accepted, according to published reports in this morning’s East Valley Tribune. (www.eastvalleytribune.com) He was one of the names that had been mentioned frequently the past week or so, along with Mike Price and Mike Riley, among others. Personallly, I was hoping for Dave McGinnis or Steve Mariucci, but I think I can live with Erickson. Here are the pros and cons of Erickson’s hire, as I see them.

The Good.

-When ASU athletic director Lisa Love embarked on her search, she stated she was looking for a big name who has had success. At least at the college level, Erickson certainly has had that. He was 64-8 at Miami and won two national titles. He coached at Washington State two years before heading to Miami, going 9-3 the second year there and got the Cougars their first bowl win in 73 years. At Oregon State, he had a 31-17 record and took the Beavers to three bowl games, going 11-1 his last year there and trouncing Notre Dame 41-9 in the Fiesta Bowl.

-Erickson’s offensive coordinator at Idaho, Dan Cozetto, figures to come with Erickson to Tempe. Cozetto was the O.C. for Arizona State from ‘92-‘99 under Bruce Snyder, and is highly thought of in these parts. He should bring a more balanced offense than the pass-happy Dirk Koetter had, though the Sun Devils ran the ball better this year than at any time under Koetter, perhaps out of necessity more than anything else. (Koetter will coach the team in the upcoming Hawaii Bowl, by the way).

-Erickson obviously is familiar with the Pac-10 as well as the national stage. And his name will no doubt assist him in the recruiting wars.

-One would have to think that Erickson is not looking to move after this job. At the age of 59, this appears to be a final stop, rather than a stepping stone for him, though no one knows for sure what the future holds.

The Bad

-On the other side of the coin, I was hoping for someone who would be a long term solution. In other words, someone younger than Erickson’s 59 years. For the same reason, I was also cool to the idea of Riley, Price, and Norm Chow, another name that was bandied about a lot in the time since Koetter was let go. Although I understand that finding a young coach who will step up and succeed at the next level is a bit of a crapshoot. But what the hey, I like to gamble. But I don’t have thousand of fans, alum, and administrators watching me when I do.

 -A few days after the Koetter announcement, Lisa Love was at an ASU men’s basketball game. As she walked in front of the student section, the crowd started chanting “Dave Mc-Gin-nis.” McGinnis, currently an assistant with the Tennessee Titans, would have been a perfect fit here, in my opinion. Granted, he didn’t have much success as the NFL Cardinals head coach, (who does?), but his personality is perfect for the college game. He’s a bit of a rah-rah guy, and the fans here still like him. Plus, Norm Chow, now the O.C. with the Titans, may have accompanied McGinnis to Tempe. I mentioned I didn’t like the idea of Chow as the head coach, but I’d take him in a heartbeat as offensive coordinator. Steve Mariucci also has Pac-10 ties, and his name is recognizable as well. I would love to see what he could do here. He has had success both in college and the NFL, his stint with the Lions notwithstanding. Like McGinnis with the Cardinals, I won’t hold Mariucci’s failure with the Lions against him.

-Erickson does bring some baggage. He was arrested for DUI in 1995. Granted, that was 11 years ago, but it’s always brought along with his name, so it will be a big deal for some. And even though he had success at Miami, the connotations of the Hurricanes program are often not good. His teams have not exactly been the most disciplined, and we’ve seen ASU take their share of penalties under Koetter, so I don’t expect that to change much.

The Outlook

The Arizona State football program has been labeled a “sleeping giant” by some. Lee Corso was on local radio recently and called it one of the ten best college coaching jobs in America. I don’t know if I would go that far, but the possibility of a big name coach like Erickson awakening the program cannot be ignored. There are a lot of pluses that the school has to offer. The weather, a 73,000 seat stadium smack dab in the middle of campus (which has hosted numerous national championship games and a Super Bowl), and a recently upgraded weight room and practice facilities that are considered among the best in the country.

ASU also has the second largest enrollment in the nation, only a few hundred behind Ohio State according to numbers from the fall of this year. That can give off a big time feel, but obviously in itself doesn’t necessarily translate into a significant recruiting tool.

With a roster adequately stocked with young talent, Erickson should be able to win almost right away. Of course the flip side of that is that he will be expected to win right away. And rightly so, as long as he can fit the personnel to his system, which is always easier said than done. I personally will give him a one-year honeymoon period. No more. And that might be generous, considering the fact that the 2007 schedule is favorable, listing eight home games for the Sun Devils. All in all, Love seemingly made a very good hire in head basketball coach Herb Sendek from North Carolina State, so it appears she knows what she’s doing. Of course, she also was the one who gave Koetter a contract extension after last season, but she realized her mistake, bit the bullet, and moved on. She wanted to go big game hunting and bag a prize capable of competing with the likes of conference foe USC, and Erickson may have been the best name available for that purpose. (For those who don't know, Love was an associate athletic director at USC before landing the ASU gig, so she's no stranger to big-time collegiate athletics). I look at Erickson like a fan would when trade rumors surface. At first, sometimes they don’t sound like a good idea, but once it’s done, you start to think that maybe it’s not such a bad deal. From what I’ve read and heard, Erickson is hungry to regain his status as a big time coach. If so, his coming to Tempe may be just what the doctor ordered for this “sleeping giant.”

Thanks for taking the time to read.