Arizona State football: 3 candidates who could replace Herm Edwards

2. Tosh Lupoi, Oregon DC

Tosh Lupoi is another head coach with Pac-12 ties and he might be the biggest surprise on this list because he has no head coaching experience.

Will Arizona State take a chance and target a coach who has never been in charge? That remains to be seen but this could be one of those risks that pay off tremendously.

Lupoi is a former Cal defensive lineman from 2000-05 who turned around and became an assistant coach at his alma mater in 2008. He bounced around to Washington and Alabama before making the jump to the NFL and now he’s back at Oregon as the defensive coordinator. He’s been considered one of the best up-and-coming defensive minds in the sport and it feels like only a matter of time before he’s given the keys to his own program.

Arizona State wouldn’t be a major adjustment as he’s used to the Pac-12 and his ties out west will help out his recruiting efforts. Plus, he learned under Nick Saban so that automatically makes him more qualified than most assistants.

Oregon is hoping he stays put, but there’s a good shot he could be a hot head coaching candidate this offseason and Arizona State is a prime spot.