Report: ASU Running Backs Coach Larry Porter Leaving for Texas Longhorns

The Arizona State Sun Devils have a lot of positive momentum heading into 2013 thanks to a surprising eight win season, but they now have one major item to address on their to do list.

First reported by FootballScoop.com, ASU running backs coach Larry Porter appears headed to Austin to take the same job with the Texas Longhorns. The report was later confirmed by DevilsDigest.com and ASUDevils.com.

Sources tell us Arizona State running backs coach Larry Porter is moving to Austin, TX footballscoop.com/the-scoop

— FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) January 2, 2013

Porter's stay in Tempe was brief, as he was hired on February 10th after Todd Graham's initial hire for the job, Chris Thomsen, left to coach the offensive line at Texas Tech. Porter had most recently finished a rough two-season stint as head coach at his alma mater of Memphis, where he went 3-21.

In his one season at ASU, he helped mold newcomers Marion Grice and D.J. Foster into two of the Pac-12's most effective offensive weapons. Grice led the team with a 679 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, while also adding 41 receptions for 425 yards and eight more scores. Foster was another explosive dual-threat as a true freshman, totaling 1,026 yards of total offense and six touchdowns.

Prior to his return to Memphis, Porter had great success at LSU, helping the Tigers field a very effective ground game from 2005 to 2009. Porter served in the same capacity at Oklahoma State (2002 to 2004), where he produced a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his seasons, and at Arkansas State (1999 to 2001), where he also had a 1,000-yard back during his final two years. He began his coaching career in 1998 as Tennessee-Martin's running backs coach.

In addition to his coaching ability, he's an accomplished recruiter. At LSU, he also served as recruiting coordinator. In that role, he twice won Rivals.com's Recruiter of the Year award, in 2007 and 2009