Matt Rhule Arizona State football coach speculation heats up with Carolina Panthers firing
When Arizona State fired Herm Edwards as its football coach last month, speculation immediately included Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule as a potential candidate to be the next head coach for the Sun Devils.
That speculation returned with a bang on Monday, when Rhule was fired by the Panthers after a 1-4 start to the season.
Some college football writers listed ASU football as the potential "best fit" for Rhule, should he return to the college football coaching ranks.
Arizona State was also included in odds to be Rhule's next coaching destination.
Check out the latest speculation surrounding Rhule and the Arizona State football program.
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Sporting News: Arizona State best fit for Matt Rhule
Bill Bender writes: "The Rhule-to-Arizona State speculation already is out in full force, and this would be a safe hire for Sun Devils athletic director Ray Anderson, who has been in charge since 2014. The Sun Devils are 55-45 since, but the Herm Edwards' era ended with allegations of NCAA recruiting violations and a dwindling product on the field. Rhule's message could pay off with recruits in a state where none of the top 10 in-state players in the class of 2023 are committed to Arizona State. Three of Arizona State's last four coaches have had an NFL background. While this might feel too close to Edwards on the surface, Rhule, 47, could make this the best bounce-back landing spot. Given the serious candidates for Arizona State, this would be a home-run hire."
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Draft Kings: ASU, Georgia Tech best fits for Matt Rhule
Chinmay Vaidya writes: "These are two programs in a bit of an identity crisis, something Rhule has experienced before. The recruiting footprint at Arizona State is about in line with what Rhule had at Baylor, and might even be better considering the Sun Devils have better access to California than Baylor did. The Pac-12 is losing some firepower with USC and UCLA leaving, potentially making success easier to come by. Georgia Tech has significant recruiting challenges and aligns closer to Rhule’s time at Temple. The ACC is likely to withstand realignment but there’s no real dominant force outside of Clemson. Rhule doesn’t have obvious connections to either school but both are situations he’s been successful in before."
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Fansided: Arizona State No. 1 job destination for Matt Rhule
John Buhler writes: "When Herm Edwards was let go after losing at home to Eastern Michigan, it became abundantly clear that Matt Rhule would be a perfect candidate at Arizona State. The Valley is talent-rich, but nobody seems to give a damn about Sun Devils football anymore. They need a facelift in the worst way possible. As with Auburn, Rhule will be in the mix for it with Deion Sanders and Urban Meyer. Admittedly, Meyer can do bigger and better. While Coach Prime in the new primetime as Pac-12 After Dark’s headliner sounds epic, Rhule has the potential to be the best thing to happen to Arizona State since Frank Kush. This is a sleeping giant. It needs a head coach that can wake the program up. This is a place where Rhule can win 10 games annually and get into the hall of fame. Arizona State is shockingly an incredibly attractive job this cycle, so they better not blow it here.
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Gophnx.com: Could Matt Rhule be ASU's next football coach?
It writes: "The Carolina Panthers fired coach Matt Rhule after the team’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Rhule’s name has been tossed around as a potential hire for Arizona State. Rhule has spent plenty of time at the college ranks, most notably at Baylor."
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Dan Patrick: Matt Rhule could be option for Arizona State
The radio host said: “Matt Rhule; it wasn’t a question of if, but when. It was brought to my attention Matt Rhule, a couple of weeks ago, before Herm Edwards got fired, that Matt Rhule could be a guy for a job like that (Arizona State). So, this isn’t out of (the blue). And he might be a better college coach than a pro coach, well; yes, he is a better college coach than a pro coach.”
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Odds Shark: ASU fourth in odds to be Matt Rhule's next coaching destination
The site lists Arizona State at +750, behind Nebraska (+150), Auburn (+300) and Wisconsin (+500).
Colorado is given +800 odds, followed by Stanford at +1000. Oklahoma (+1200), Texas A&M (+1600) and "any NFL team" (+3300) were also included in the odds.
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Gut feeling: Arizona State needs to go hard in the paint for Matt Rhule. Program builder at Baylor.
(If he wants to coach next year) https://t.co/a3U8399i3z— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) October 10, 2022
Matt Rhule always was a college coach.
He'll likely get a good job sooner than later.
I think he could rock a spot like Arizona State, that's just waiting for someone w/a BIG PLAN to take charge.— Mark Schipper - 5th Down CFB (@5thDownCFB) October 10, 2022
Click here for more speculation involving Matt Rhule and the Arizona State football coaching position.
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Matt Rhule ASU football coach speculation heats up after NFL firing
