ASU names coordinators, clarifies staff positions

Arizona State football coach Todd Graham this week completed his coaching staff and revealed specific duties for the nine-man group.

As expected, Mike Norvell will serve as offensive coordinator after holding the co-coordinator title under Graham last season at Pittsburgh. Norvell will also coach quarterbacks in his sixth season with Graham after first joining him at Tulsa in 2007.

Bob Connelly, who joined Graham in Tempe after four seasons at UTEP, was named associate head coach and offensive line coach. Connelly brings with him experience in the West, having spent time coaching at UCLA and Washington State.

Also bringing West Coast experience is DelVaughn Alexander, who will coach wide receivers and serve as passing game coordinator after five seasons at Wisconsin. Former Illinois tight ends coach Chip Long will take on the same role under Graham while also acting as recruiting coordinator.

Larry Porter rounds out the offensive staff as running backs coach and was perhaps the biggest name Graham brought to Tempe. Porter spent the past two seasons as head coach at Memphis and previously served as running backs coach for eight seasons under Les Miles at Oklahoma State and Louisiana State. Porter also adds recruiting prowess to Graham's staff, having twice been named National Recruiter of the Year by recruiting service Rivals.com.

Porter was the last addition to Graham's staff, filling a position vacated when former Division II Abilene Christian coach Chris Thomsen left after less than a month at ASU to coach the offensive line at Texas Tech.

On the defensive side, Paul Randolph was named senior associate head coach and defensive coordinator after serving as co-coordinator under Graham at Pitt last season. Randolph has been on Graham's staff since Graham's first head coaching job at Rice in 2006.

Assisting Randolph will be Ron West, who was named co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach after spending the past two seasons at Illinois and later spending less than a month on the staff at New Mexico.

Chris Ball will serve as defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator after spending the past three seasons as co-defensive coordinator at Washington State, and former Central Washington defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Joe Lorig will coach outside linebackers while also acting as defensive special-teams coordinator.