ASU hires Suddes for top recruiting position

Former Texas Director of Player Personnel Patrick Suddes has been hired to fill Arizona State's Assistant Athletic Director for Recruiting position.

Suddes' responsibilities will include overseeing ASU's football personnel decisions, managing its on campus recruiting operations, clinics and camps as well as coordinating prospective student athletes' visits to the school.

Suddes will also be involved in the marketing and promotion of ASU football to recruits via its tablet and smartphone app and other methods.

"I like that this guy has a vision for setting the model," ASU coach Todd Graham said. "This is not a position we are plugging him into. He's going to create the model that is unique to Arizona State. The goal is that we're going to have the great personnel that fits Arizona State and our values."

Prior to taking the job under then-coach Mack Brown at Texas in March of 2013, Suddes worked for six years at Alabama under coach Nick Saban. He was the Assistant Director of Operations at Alabama from 2008-12, after spending a year as Associate Director of Recruiting.

"I'm excited to come to Arizona State and work under a great teacher and leader like coach Graham," Suddes said. "I have been fortunate to work for two future hall of fame coaches in Nick Saban and Mack Brown, and it is clear coach Graham is in the same mold as them. My professional background began in the Southeast and the state of Texas, and to be able to combine that knowledge with the abundance of talent that lies in Arizona and throughout the West Coast is a perfect fit for me. ASU, with its great campus, loyal fan base and dedicated staff, offers endless opportunities and I'm looking forward to helping the program grow in all capacities. I am fully on board the Boom Bus and ready to throw up my first Pitchfork."

In 2005 and 2006, Suddes served as a quality control assistant under Saban with the Miami Dolphins, where he was involved in game planning and opposition scouting. He also coached the scout team offense and worked with special teams defense.

"Patrick is a real star in the recruiting business," former Texas coach Mack Brown said. "He's unbelievably organized, thorough and tireless. He did a tremendous job at Alabama, reshaped our recruiting efforts at Texas and will be a great asset to Todd and his staff at Arizona State."

ASU created the Associate Athletic Director for Recruiting position upon coach Todd Graham's arrival in Tempe. It was initially filled by Sherman Morris, who left LSU to take the job, but Morris resigned the position in September of last year following an arrest for an alleged domestic violence incident a month earlier.

In the time following Morris' departure, the position has been filled on an interim basis by former Stanford player Luke Powell.

Suddes reportedly graduated from Alabama in 2005 and spent a year working as a recruiting intern at LSU.