The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman ranked Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham as a top-25 coach in college football ahead of the 2026 season.
Feldman ranked Dillingham as the 21st-best head coach in college football. In three seasons with the Sun Devils, Dillingham has led the program to a 22-17 record — highlighted by the 2024 season when the Sun Devils went 11-3 — won the Big 12 Championship and reached the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
Feldman noted the surprising turnaround ASU has made under Dillingham, given the condition of the program following the 2022 season.
The year before he took over his alma mater, ASU went 3-9 in 2022 — its worst season in 80 years. Attendance was the lowest it had been in over a half-century. The program had to vacate two of its three wins because of NCAA sanctions related to recruiting violations and other issues under former coach Herm Edwards. Dillingham’s roster was depleted, but the team got creative with its scheme. They went 3-9 but lost two Pac-12 games by a field goal and lost to No. 5 Washington on the road by eight points. The next season, Dillingham won the Big 12, got ASU into the Playoff and almost upset Texas.
ASU is coming off a season in which the team finished 8-5 despite numerous injuries to key players, including quarterback Sam Leavitt. The Sun Devils were still playing for a spot in the Big 12 Championship heading into their last regular-season game before losing to Arizona in the Territorial Cup.
Dillingham and ASU agreed to a contract extension this offseason that will run through 2030, with triggers in the contract that could take it through 2035. The extension came after several programs, including Michigan, reportedly showed interest in the 35-year-old head coach.
Feldman said ASU will be in the mix to compete in the Big 12 with Dillingham back.
ASU doesn’t have the same resources as Texas Tech or some of the other top teams in the Big 12, but as long as Dillingham is in charge, the Sun Devils figure to be in contention.
Dillingham and ASU will enter the 2026 season with a significantly retooled roster.
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The Sun Devils made several additions through the transfer portal, including quarterback Cutter Boley, wide receivers Omarion Miller and Reed Harris, running back David Avit, offensive tackle Luke Baklenko, and cornerbacks Ashton Stamps and Nigel Pringle.
The additions follow the departures of several key players from last season, including Leavitt, star wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, cornerback Keith Abney II, defensive back Xavion Alford and offensive tackle Max Iheanachor.
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