ASU Football: Sun Devils quiet, stay put as national coaching carousel swirls

If there's a time to make a major coaching move, it's now.

As the college football regular season concluded after Thanksgiving weekend, more than a dozen FBS programs fired had vacant head-coaching and coordinator positions on "Black Sunday," activating the national coaching carousel. There have already been several hires, like Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Scott Frost taking the UCF Knights job Tuesday.

As for the Arizona State Sun Devils? Despite a tumultuous season, looks like their coaching staff is staying put, for now.

The ASU coach that most likely would have left by now is of course offensive coordinator and "deputy head coach" Mike Norvell. Prior to the season, it seemed inevitable Mike Norvell would soon take a head-coaching position, but ASU's poor season on offense has many fans calling the program to fire him.

Norvell has drawn some interest, but nothing serious has emerged. Norvell was speculated by the Big Ten Network and NJ.com as a potential candidate for the Rutgers Scarlet Knight's open job, but is yet to be reported as anything more. He was also linked to the North Texas position for the past month, but reportedly showed no interest to it according to the Denton Record-Chronicle.

Unless a power-five head-coaching position knocks on his door, it seems Norvell isn't proactively trying to leave ASU. When USA Today released salaries of FBS assistant coaches last year, Norvell was revealed to be the eighth-highest paid assistant in the nation, making a comfortable $901,580 in 2014. Norvell and his wife also just had a baby in June 2014.

It also appears unlikely ASU coach Todd Graham will fire Norvell after just one bad season. Norvell has served on Graham's staff for over nine years and have a strong relationship outside of football so strong that their families vacation with each other every year. Norvell is a valued recruiter for ASU, and next year's offense will be the first time a Graham/Norvell-recruited quarterback will run the system. Norvell has been quoted many times in the media he believes in the team's philosophy and has completely bought in.

Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson is unlikely to leave ASU as well. Patterson is also a long-time friend of colleague of Graham since they were college roommates, and Graham told the media early in the season he trusted Patterson enough let him call most, if not all, the plays on defense.

The Denton Record-Chronicle also reported current ASU offensive line coach Chris Thomsen as a more serious candidate for the North Texas job, but was not considered as a finalist as of last weekend.

If ASU might make some coaching staff tweaks soon, it could be at running backs coach, where Bo Graham vacated just days prior to the Sun Devils' opener and is currently filled by Josh Martin, previously a graduate assistant for the team.

However, just because ASU isn't making any coaching moves now doesn't mean it's completely locked until spring camp starts in March. Graham is known to hire assistants in February and early March like Patterson in 2014, defensive line coach Jackie Shipp in 2012 and special teams coach Shawn Slocum in 2015. Graham has also re-assigned position coaches in the past, moving Paul Randolph around defensive coaching positions until he was named "Associate Athletic Director for Championship Life" when Slocum joined the team.

The Sun Devils certainly struggled in 2015 and have a lot to adjust over the offseason, but it appears making a major coaching move within the staff won't be one way.