Kenny Dillingham popped by his position rooms during preparation to face Iowa State last week to reaffirm his commitment to coaching Arizona State in 2026, reported SunDevilSource.com’s Chris Karpman.
It was a sign that the 35-year-old ASU coach would return, but he will surely be mentioned — and possibly recruited — in the college football head-coaching churn that already includes openings at Penn State, Florida and LSU. Karpman reported that Florida had some interest in him, though Dillingham had not engaged in conversations with the school.
On Friday, Dillingham was asked by Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta why it felt necessary to tell his players in the middle of this 2025 season that he’d be back in 2026.
Dillingham’s answer was about why he is sticking around. He prioritizes those close to him: His wife Briana and their families, who live physically close, and his current and former players.
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“I’ve said this from the beginning: My next-door neighbor is my sister, my parents live three doors down,” Dillingham said. “You know, my wife’s parents live five doors down. My wife’s as competitive as a person you’ll ever see. She’s a person who wants to win national championships, she’s a person who wants to win. She’s competitive and she loves ball.
“I mean, we flew and we watched … (Dillingham’s former quarterback at Auburn and Oregon) Bo Nix play (for the Denver Broncos), and then flew back so I could get back on the road recruiting. She’s a person, she’s super competitive and she wants to be able to compete and win national championships, conference championships. Having the family support here is a really cool thing.”
Dillingham attended Arizona State University after graduating from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale. He got his start in coaching as an assistant with ASU in 2014 with former head coach Todd Graham’s staff.
Dillingham’s second season leading the Sun Devils in 2024 included a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff appearance, and that set him up for a five-year contract extension on Dec. 31, 2024.
At the time, it put him in the top third of Big 12 coaches in terms of pay, and it included an incentive structure that adds years onto the deal if he meets certain benchmarks of six regular-season wins and a bowl game.
But SEC and Big Ten teams are likely to give Dillingham a look.
How will he manage recruiting pitches?
“I mean, to be honest, I don’t worry about it at all,” Dillingham said. “I know the things that I want, I know my goals. I know what’s needed to achieve those things, personally and professionally. So I don’t really worry about anything but our players.
“We had a bye week and Bo Nix played on a Thursday night, and I had time and we flew out there for four hours, saw him after the game and flew back. Those are the things that matter to me … the relationships that you build along the way. I think for me, I just kind of keep my head down, try to do the best job I can for our players, ’cause that’s what this is all about.”
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