Arizona State's Graham: I don't want players with great attitudes

Arizona State head coach Todd Graham is known to march to the beat of his own drum, as evidence by him coaching at four schools in seven years before finally staying put in the desert for what will be his fifth season with the Sun Devils.

Graham gave a less-than-conventional outlook about what he wants from his players, to the AP Top 25 College Football Podcast.

“I don’t want you to have a great attitude, I don’t want you to give me great effort. I just want your best,” Graham said. “As an educator, I want to teach these men to have championship lives. I didn’t have a dad. Coaches were my dad. I had a championship mom, and these teachers and coaches changed my life. I’m getting paid to do this? Are you kidding me? This isn’t a job. This is a passion. How can I not pass that on?

“Our world is so distracted. You need clarity. What is it you believe in? Our players know what we believe in. You have to have belief in something, and it has to be clear what it is. Our deal, we want guys to be givers. It’s the greatest thing I can teach you in your life. If I said, ‘What would you die for?’ I pretty much probably already know. Probably your mom, your dad, your brother, your kids, your wife. I tell my players I love football, but I ain’t dying for it. I love the Sun Devils. I ain’t dying for it. If we can all come together in that regard, if not, it’s too difficult. Clarity creates focus. That’s spending your time on what’s important, and then you can execute something, you can have accountability."

Graham made headlines last season after Washington State head coach Mike Leach accused him of stealing signals, something Graham was also accused of, and admitted to, two years ago.