Todd Graham is not going anywhere. Mike Norvell is not going anywhere. The Arizona State coaching staff is staying put.

That is the message Graham is trying to get across, and the one sent by the promotion of Mike Norvell to deputy head coach.

It’s an important one for the coaching staff to get out, because the possibility of them leaving Tempe has been a popular weapon in recruiting battles.

“Obviously with the commitment and people seeing that we’re here to stay, there’s a great excitement about what’s coming,” Norvell told Doug & Wolf Thursday morning. “Obviously, the direction of the program — we feel like this can be one of the national elite programs in the country, and with the commitment that’s been made and obviously the direction we feel like the program’s going in, there’s a great deal of excitement with recruits, with families, with people all across this country.”

That would seem to be the case, as Rivals.com says the Sun Devils have the 17th-best 2014 recruiting class in the country, and number one-ranked class in the Pac-12.

So, it would seem that the on-field performance and coaching style is having a greater impact than the negative recruiting tactics taken by opposing schools.

“It’s almost comical to me, because if that’s the only thing that schools can try to attack and use against us, and to see that the continuity of our staff and the direction where we’re going, then we know that we’re doing a lot of things right, and we know this thing is going in the right direction and it’s going to be exciting times here in the Valley.”

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