Likens hopes to seize the day as new Sun Devils offensive coordinator

TEMPE, Ariz. — Rob Likens adopted the carpe diem mantra two years ago in the face of tragedy. He swears he will employ that life philosophy in his new and unexpected opportunity as Arizona State’s new offensive coordinator.

“I got in this business because my high school football coach changed my life and I would not be standing here talking to you if it wasn’t for him,” Likens said Saturday in his first public comments since assuming his new post. “I got in this business for kids, to love them, to be an agent of change.”

Sun Devils Coach Herm Edwards named Likens his offensive coordinator on Friday, after Billy Napier accepted the head coaching job at Louisiana-Lafayette. Likens spent this past season as ASU’s co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Before coming to ASU at the start of last season, Likens spent two seasons as Kansas’s offensive coordinator (2015-17), but he was stripped of his play-calling duties by coach David Beaty after one season. Beaty took over that role.

Likens also has experience as an offensive coordinator at Southeast Missouri State and Central Connecticut State. He was an assistant at Louisiana Tech (2010-12), Central Connecticut State (2006-09), Southeast Missouri State (2004-05) and Temple (1993-2003), as well as Cal and North Alabama. He was a wide receiver at Mississippi State from 1985-87.

While at Kansas, Likens got to know 7-year-old University of Kansas football fan Cole Hayden, who died of cancer a year ago. Cole’s mother, Shanda Hayden, was an academic and career counselor in the athletic department. Likens still wears a wristband that reads ‘Team Cole.’ He said the tragedy changed his approach to life.

“I would go after practice and games and sit with him and the family. You don’t ever want to see that and I’ll never ever take another day for granted when you see that,” he said. “What I consider hard is a joke. It’s not hard compared to something like that and so it kind of puts things into perspective. You wake up every day and you only have so many of them. You get on the other side of that day and you’re not getting that thing back.

“I look at my days as boxes in a calendar. There I am, I’m in that box. I wake up in the morning, my head comes off that pillow and I’ve got until my head gets down on that pillow again and that’s it. All I think about is inside that box that day and let’s get after it. Let’s squeeze as much life out of that day as you possibly can.”

Likens said he was mulling unspecified opportunities to become an OC at another school when he got the call from Edwards.

“There wasn’t much sleep for that night. I woke up that morning and I sent a text to coach Napier. I said ‘did you get any sleep last night?’ It was a grueling decision for him, too. He did not want to leave here. It was very tough but it was an opportunity he could not pass up and I saw this the same way. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Likens said the offensive players were relieved to hear he was coming back.

“They were excited,” he said. “I got a ton of hugs and handshakes and text messages last night.”

Likens said maintaining continuity for the returning players played a role in his decision.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m talking to you is to try to be an agent of stability, keep these kids from kind of just going awry,” he said. “It was a tough morning for them yesterday. I think it was great news. I hope it was to them that I was staying because it’s been tough for them. There’s a lot of change that’s been going on.

“That was one of the biggest things that factored in is all those kids were coming back and I just can’t even imagine them having a whole other offensive staff coming in, changing everything. I couldn’t imagine that.”

Vice President for University of Athletics has also highlighted the importance of continuity on the field. Likens stressed that would be a part of his approach to the offense.

“You’ll see a stamp of what I want to do on it, but that wouldn’t be what we’re trying to do here. If I came in and changed the offense and started doing something different they might as well have gone out and got another guy. We’re going to try to keep as much together as we possibly can, but obviously I have a few thoughts.

“[Herm] just expressed to me that he wants to be able to run the football and I think all good defensive coaches will all say the same thing: the ability to run the football and play-action pass — very similar to what we’ve been doing.”

Likens hasn’t set a timeline for putting the rest of his offensive staff together, but he understands there is urgency to that task, with the early signing period beginning next week.

“One of the things I’ve learned in my 27 years is you don’t just start hiring new ones, pop, pop, pop. That’s how you make mistakes. It’s got to be a great fit,” he said. “It’s going to take a little while but obviously with recruiting, you’ve got to get them in quick, too. It’s tough but we’re working on it.”

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