ASU DC White leaves for Syracuse, Pierce and Lewis named co-DCs

Arizona State hired a new defensive coordinator on Dec. 19, and only 47 days later, they needed to find a replacement.

Tony White, the team’s defensive backs coach last year that was named Danny Gonzales’ replacement, is taking the defensive coordinator job at Syracuse, per Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel.

Almost immediately after that news broke, The Athletic’s Doug Haller reports that the team got two in Antonio Pierce and Marvin Lewis as co-defensive coordinators.

The school quickly made that news official.

Per 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro, the move for White will have him close to his family on the east side of the country for the first time in his coaching career.

White will have a similar contract at Syracuse and was made aware of the offer only on Monday.

He joined 98.7 FM’s Burns & Gambo moments after the news was officially announced.

“Spent all last night till three, four in the morning and all this morning just talking it over,” White said. “Just figured that this was the first time I’d be able to go back and be close to family.”

White was announced as the team’s new defensive coordinator less than two months ago on 98.7 FM’s All Aboard with Herm Edwards.

On that same program, Pierce was named the team’s new associate head coach, on top of being the team’s recruiting director and linebackers coach He now takes on his fourth title as co-defensive coordinator.

Pierce is entering his third season with the Sun Devils and working on Edwards’ staff.

“Antonio Pierce has established himself as one of the elite recruiters in the nation and is one of the brightest up-and-coming coaches around,” Edwards said in a press release. “His impact with the linebackers and with the Sun Devil program in just two seasons has been tangible and he has been a pivotal part in our defensive success since his arrival in Tempe.”

Lewis will make a return to a coaching role after joining Edwards’ group last year as a special advisor. He filled in as the interim defensive backs coach for the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

“Marvin Lewis is someone that I have come to trust wholeheartedly during my career and his coaching acumen will prove to be invaluable as we continue to push this program forward,” Edwards said. “He has coached at the highest level of football and spearheaded some elite defenses in the process. That kind of experience cannot be measured and his passion for teaching will extend beyond the student-athletes, but also to our coaching staff itself.”

Arizona State is less than three weeks away from the start of spring practice.

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