The Arizona Republic

ASU football

- TOM TINGLE/THE REPUBLIC

When Herm Edwards became ASU head coach in 2018, he promoted Rob Likens to offensive coordinato­r after Napier left for his first head coaching opportunit­y. The Sun Devils are combined 14-11 under Edwards but not scoring at the level he wants (29.9 ppg in 2018, 25.2 in 2019).

So Likens was let go after the Territoria­l Cup and Hill was hired last week from Boise State, where he was offensive coordinato­r for four years.

Hill will not coach in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31 -- offensive line coach Dave Christense­n and running backs coach Shaun Aguano are handling OC duties against Florida State -- but Hill is here watching bowl practice and preparing to take over the offense starting Jan. 1.

“The nice thing is I’ve got time to transition,” Hill said Thursday in his first meeting with local media. “Obviously I’m trying to get a feel for the personnel out of the field but also the coaching staff. I wanted to get down here as soon as possible and jump right into things.”

Hill is in the somewhat unusual position of being the last offensive hire for ASU’s 2020 staff. Edwards already had decided to bring on Prentice Gill and promote Derek Hagan as wide receiver coaches, joining Christense­n (offensive line) and Aguano (running backs) as offensive assistants.

So the new offensive coordinato­r is inheriting those below him, which per some reports might have been a sticking point for another ASU OC candidate, Oregon State’s Brian Lindgren.

“The coaches we have here are phenomenal, and I’m excited to work with them,” Hill said. “It’s just interestin­g being the last hire and jumping right into the mix, which I think will work just fine. Those coaches are hungry and ready to go and excited for what’s about to happen after this bowl game.

“Right now I’m able to evaluate all those guys and see what fits, strengths and weaknesses and put together best plan moving forward. It’s not an easy situation, but you’ve got to build trust quickly. We’ve got to do a really good job of coming together and trusting each other and communicat­ing. We’ve got to make the best of it.”

Gill and Hagan are first-year assistants, serving previously as analysts at Oregon and ASU, while Aguano is going into his second season at ASU. Christense­n is the veteran of the offensive staff with 35 years of college coaching , including five as head coach.

Their prearrange­d marriage with 40year-old Hill will be interestin­g particular­ly since immediate expectatio­ns will be high for how to maximize the 2 to 3 years left at ASU for freshman AllAmerica (ESPN) QB Jayden Daniels.

Hill said Edwards and Daniels were “a big piece” of why he made the move from Boise State. “I know there’s a lot of weapons down here, and offensivel­y that’s intriguing. We’re going to try find ways the get guys in space and get our playmakers involved.

“... It’s an easily recruitabl­e place. This is a place you want to come. Getting those high-level recruits like Jayden Daniels, it’s very easy here. Coach Edwards has a great vision for the program. That was a big piece, his vision and how he approaches everything on a daily basis. I felt very comfortabl­e being in this role.”

Daniels already had been on YouTube, studying up on what Hill did with Boise State’s offense.

“He does a lot of different things. A lot of window dressings, trying to keep the defense off balance,” Daniels said. “He uses tight ends a lot. That makes it easier for quarterbac­ks. A lot of motions to keep the defense off balance, a lot of counter attacks. I was only one year in the (Likens) system so it wasn’t like I was three or four years down the road. I was still kind of new to it. I’ll get ready for spring and then fall camp. We should be fine by then.”

No. 19 Boise State (12-1) averages 36.8 points and is No. 38 nationally in total offense (441.5 yards per game).

“We were fortunate to get Zak to come here,” Edwards said. “When there’s change, there’s always this uncertaint­y. You don’t quite know exactly how it’s going to work out. But you work through things and find a way to make it work.”

 ??  ?? ASU football coach Herm Edwards, left, speaks with new offensive coordinato­r Zak Hill in practice at the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe on Tuesday.
ASU football coach Herm Edwards, left, speaks with new offensive coordinato­r Zak Hill in practice at the Verde Dickey Dome in Tempe on Tuesday.

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