Graham leaves Pitt to coach Arizona State

Tempe, AZ – Pittsburgh's Todd Graham is leaving the program to take the head coaching job at Arizona State.

Graham will replace Dennis Erickson, who was fired on November 28th following a 6-6 season.

Graham spent one season as the head coach of the Panthers, guiding the team to a 6-6 overall record and 4-3 mark in Big East action.

"In Todd, we have not only hired a young and sitting head coach, but one with a history of success on the field and in hiring top-notch assistant coaches. For the first time in his career, he will be taking over a program with a strong nucleus at the beginning. We are excited to watch Coach Graham take over a very well-positioned program and elevate it to the next level," vice president of athletics Lisa Love said in a statement.

Prior to Pittsburgh, Graham was the head coach at Tulsa from 2007-2010. He led the Golden Hurricane to back-to-back 10-plus win seasons for the first time in school history in 2007 and 2008.

During his time at Tulsa, Graham compiled a 36-17 record, which included three bowl wins and three seasons of 10-plus wins. Graham was also the defensive coordinator at Tulsa from 2003-05.

Graham also had a successful one-year stint as Rice's head coach in 2006. After starting the season 0-4, the Owls won seven of their next nine games to finish with a 7-6 record. Rice appeared in its first bowl game in 45 seasons that year.

"What we sought in a football coach was someone who would be in it for the long term at Arizona State, who would build and guide a program that would be competitive in the Pac-12 and on a national level year after year after year, who would communicate and connect with the community, and represent our University with honor. In Todd Graham we have that person," ASU president Dr. Michael Crow said.