Arizona State OC Zak Hill Resigns; Three Other Coaches Depart Program
The NCAA's investigation into alleged recruiting violations by Arizona State went silent for several months following a summer window that saw three assistant coaches (tight ends coach Adam Breneman, wide receivers coach Prentice Gill and defensive backs coach Chris Hawkins) placed on leave prior to the start of the season.
Friday was a newsworthy day led by the resignation of offensive coordinator Zak Hill.
Last week, Arizona State hired defensive backs coach Aaron Fletcher, perhaps signaling that the investigation was coming to a close sooner rather than later.
On Friday, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg confirmed news that could suggest we've only seen the beginning of potential program-shifting moves for the Sun Devils.
Sources: #ArizonaState offensive coordinator Zak Hill has resigned. Wide receivers coach Prentice Gill, secondary coach Chris Hawkins and tight ends coach Adam Breneman are all also out. All four involved in NCAA investigation of program. @DevilsDigest first reported.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) January 28, 2022
In a corresponding move, Arizona State announced Friday morning the promotions of Bobby Wade from graduate assistant to receivers coach) and Justin Wood from interim assistant coach to tight ends coach).
"I am thrilled to make the announcement to elevate Graduate Assistant Bobby Wade to Wide Receivers Coach and Interim Assistant Coach (tight ends) Justin Wood to Tight Ends Coach," said Sun Devils head coach Herm Edwards in a statement. "Both of these young men are up-and-comers in the coaching profession and both possess a bright future. Both are young, energetic and have a passion that is a perfect fit on our staff. I look forward to seeing them thrive in our program."
SunDevilSource.com reported that Gill and Hawkins were fired for cause in "what ASU deemed to be violations of their work agreements," while Breneman and Hill simply resigned. Gill is said to be appealing his dismissal.
Hill, who was also reportedly involved in the investigation, departs Arizona State after two seasons as ASU's offensive coordinator. Although the program recently hired offensive analyst Brian Billick, potential candidates to fill Hill's role are now unknown at this time. Unless things change, Billick will be involved in the reconstruction of the offense, but will not have a fulltime role in Tempe.
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