Bennett, Napier play waiting game during ASU coaching search
Dec 1, 2017, 3:19 PM
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State defensive coordinator Phil Bennett said “three or four people have called” him about potential jobs but Bennett is holding those people at bay for now.
“The thing that I’ve told them is ‘I want to see what happens here,'” he said Friday. “I know the couple of people that they’re talking to and I’m just going to see this thing through and I really don’t know what to expect.”
At a press conference on Sunday to announce the firing of coach Todd Graham, Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson said he’d like the next coach to consider keeping some of the staff, including Bennett and offensive coordinator Billy Napier, for the sake of the players in the program and for the sake of continuity on both sides of the ball and in recruiting.
“We would want someone with an open mind and the ability to not do it the same old way that most coaches want to do it,” Anderson said, “come in and throw in a grenade and ‘I want to bring in all my own guys.’
When asked if remaining with the program was something that interested him, Napier, 38, partially deflected the question.
“The people here have been outstanding to my family in particular,” he said. “I think it is a special place, but at this time I don’t think that’s a conversation we can have. The next two, three, four days, we’re going to find out a lot about the future of the program and I’m excited to see where we’re headed.
“At this time, we’ve got to let the administration do their job and when we get to that point I’ll be ready to answer those questions.”
Bennett, who will turn 62 on Sunday, was more direct.
“You listen and you try to absorb what’s being said and then you say ‘alright, do I fit in here? Is this going to be something that fits me?'” he said. “I’m at the age right now that it’s got to be something that I want. My relationship with these players and this coaching staff is tight and once again it was a fun year.”
Bennett will have knee surgery and neck surgery to repair a herniated C6 vertebra this offseason, but he said he is not pondering retirement.
“Not really,” he said. “I’m fortunate. I don’t have to do it. I do it because I love it.”
Napier said the uncertainty surrounding the coaching staff has been unsettling.
“That’s the most difficult part — that and the relationships you build with the current team and the current players,” he said. “That’s part of this profession. It’s the other side of the profession, to some degree. Obviously, it can be very rewarding, but if you want to pursue this profession and compete at a high level it comes with the territory.”
With four decades of coaching experience on his resume, Bennett takes a more measured approach to uncertainty.
“I’ve just seen so much,” he said. “I tell the staff, ‘just take a deep breath and this thing will iron itself out.’ One thing that I told people around the country: I think this staff has done a good job. Obviously, there were a couple of games that we felt like we could have won that we didn’t, but I think there’s good coaches here.”
Multiple outlets have reported that Herm Edwards could be named the coach as soon as Monday. Bennett knows Edwards and says he has heard nothing but good things about him.
With the possibility that Graham could be fired lingering over the staff and team all season, Bennett said the Sun Devils did well to block out that distraction.
“I never, ever brought up anything about our situation or Todd’s situation and I didn’t think Todd did either,” he said. “One of the reasons I thought we were able to sustain and get better was we kept the focus on the main thing: football and these kids.”
Napier said that no matters what happens, he is looking forward to the next challenge.
“I’m excited about the opportunities that maybe I’ll get, whether that’s here or other places,” he said. “I’ll continue to work my butt off for whoever that may be, but I’m very appreciative of coach Graham believing in me and giving me an opportunity here.”
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