Shaun Aguano didn’t expect to be in this position this soon.

The former running backs coach turned interim head coach found out he was next in line for the job early Sunday afternoon, not long before the news of Herm Edwards’ end became public. Although the conditions of his promotion aren’t ideal, Aguano knows the opportunity and responsibility that he suddenly has. During his introductory press conference, he oozed passion, confidence, and above all else, the importance of family. The immediate future of ASU football is anything but certain; one thing that is certain is that Shaun Aguano deeply cares about delivering for his players.

“It is bittersweet because Coach Edwards is my dear friend, and he gave me this opportunity,” Aguano said. “This means a lot; this means a lot for my family. It means a lot for the coaches in Arizona. I want to prove to them that my success is achievable. I’ve been coaching for a long time, and the success that I’ve had is not a secret. It’s about loving kids; it’s about inspiring kids.”

The promotion is obviously an emotional one for Aguano. He fought back the tears multiple times during the press conference. Aguano wasn’t a part of the decision for Edwards to relinquish his role, but he was right by the coach’s side when the news was broken, and the interim position was offered to Aguano.

“I didn’t learn until later in the afternoon; prior to the staff meeting, they asked me if I would take on the responsibility to be the head coach,” Aguano said. “I accepted right then and there. I gave Herm a big hug and told him I loved him. I texted him and called him as well; he’s in a good space.”

In a classy move, Aguano expanded on his relationship with Edwards and expressed a desire to make him proud this week and for the rest of the season.

“I was put here four years ago with coach Edwards, and he gave me this opportunity,” he said. “I let them know yesterday that we need to pay him back, it hasn’t gone well, and unfortunately, there’s parting of ways. Our job is to make sure that on Saturday night, he’s smiling. Our kids and our coaches have been through a lot in the last 24 hours; our focus is now on the next nine weeks.”

If you didn’t know of Aguano’s ties to the state of Arizona before today, you do now. Before coming to ASU to coach the running backs under Edwards, Aguano spent eight years as the head coach at Chandler High School. The football program has been criticized in recent years for missing out on local recruits, something Aguano said would be a priority for him.

“I will personally recruit Arizona kids,” he said. “I know their coaches; I know what that’s about. I will personally recruit those kids. They have to be a good fit for us to win; it all comes down to the kids that you have in your program.”

Nothing is a better recruiting tool than winning. Local blue chip recruits in recent years have fled the state for a number of reasons, Edwards led ASU teams’ inability to consistently win big games certainly played a role.

Ray Anderson stated on Sunday that Edwards would be the only coach on the staff that would be parting ways with the program. While Aguano is taking on a college head coaching role for the first time, his support is chock-full of experience. Marvin Lewis and Brian Billick have been head coaches at the NFL level, and a number of position coaches have spent time on the sidelines on Sundays as well. He plans on utilizing this to the best of his ability but emphasized the importance of creating his own identity as head coach.

“I feel I have the expertise from a game management perspective,” he said. “I will lean on those guys; there is going to be a subtle change but not drastic change. I got here at 5:30 this morning, and there were already seven coaches here. That tells you a lot about the people we have for these kids.”

The adjustment period will have to be a quick one for Arizona State. The Aguano era begins with a treacherous beginning to the Pac-12 slate. Utah comes to Tempe as the No.13 ranked team in the country this week. Then, the Sun Devils travel to Los Angeles to face No. 7 USC the following week. Washington comes to town on October 8, a game that was billed as a “should win” for ASU for much of the summer. But with the current turmoil with ASU coupled with early season success from Washington, the Huskies find themselves ranked in the top 20 and likely circling their trip to Tempe as a must-win. The honeymoon phase will have to be a quick one for Aguano, who is embracing the challenge.

“I think we can compete with anybody in the country. I like the challenge of competing with three top 20 teams off the bat,” he said. Let’s go and win these next three games. To me, it’s about attention to detail; we are not going to let anything slip by.”

Much like Edwards, Aguano is a family man. He’s a father of four. Aguano touched on the importance of his family and shared how important this development is to them.

“Our household last night felt just like it did when I got the head job at Chandler. Just them (his four kids) understanding that dreams can come true. I know it’s cliche, but in my situation, it has,” Aguano said. “That family environment, that’s something I’m going to try to instill. Football is just a game; if I can teach them more than that, I’ll be successful. Football is my life; inspiring kids is my life. That Ohana has a huge meaning for me.”

The family extends to the fanbase. It’s a disgruntled fanbase; something Aguano acknowledged isn’t ideal for a head coach getting a fresh start. He called on ASU fans to fill the stadium this weekend to support these kids, promising that each player wearing an ASU uniform would be doing everything in his power to make them proud.

“I am going to ask for their support; I understand that the last game that we played deflated them,” Aguano said. “We have an opportunity to prove all the naysayers wrong. I understand they’re deflated, and only winning solves it.”

Aguano’s rise to the top of ASU football has been improbable, one that can serve as an inspiration to many getting started coaching at the high school ranks. According to him, it’s an unwavering faith and self-confidence that will allow him to have the same success with Arizona State that he did at the high school level.

“The transition from high school to college, the recruiting part is probably the biggest difference, the loving and inspiring of kids, that part doesn’t change at any level,” Aguano said. “I always bet on myself, I could see myself up there everyday, and now I’m here. We need to make sure that we do a great job over the next ten weeks.”

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