Arizona State football ignited a new confidence not seen in several years. Kenny Dillingham reinvented the Sun Devils as a first-time College Football Playoff qualifier. Dillingham is brimming with confidence — and making a new “blue blood” claim.

The incoming third-year head coach dropped a big claim to Pete Nakos of On3 released on Saturday. He believes ASU can earn “blue blood” status.

“You have Clemson this last cycle, from 2010 to 2020. They just showed up. People think they’ve been around forever. You have Oregon from 2000 to 2010… There hasn’t been a team in this era, in the 2020s,” Dillingham began. “The lifestyle you have in Arizona, if we can create some staff consistency, and then we’re in a league where we can continually compete to win.”

Dillingham wasn't backtracking from his words either. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to reiterate his confident take.

“Of course I should believe we can build something, so should every coach of a program. We are a LONG way away from this and the context was about why I want to be at ASU for the long haul,” Dillingham said.

He knows, however, that ASU must capitalize on its epic 2024 to become another “Clemson” or “Oregon.”

“One season proves nothing. It’s a marathon not a race,” Dillingham added.

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How Arizona State, Kenny Dillingham are attacking offseason 

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham whispers to quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) after Texas won 39-31 over Arizona State in double overtime in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 1, 2025.
Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 35-year-old coach hasn't fully rested from ASU's CFP run. He's attempted to put together a stellar 2026 recruiting class.

Dillingham and the Sun Devils won over one four-star talent. Nalin Scott chose ASU out of his 34 offers. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder out of McEachern in Powder Springs, Georgia even turned down in-state power Georgia for ASU. Indiana became one more CFP team that Scott turned down.

Arizona State holds 14 total verbal commits for the '26 cycle. Dillingham also bolstered his roster through the college football transfer portal. Ex-Purdue cornerback Kyndrich Breedlove joined the Big 12 champs on Jan. 13.

Dillingham and ASU will enter the '25 season as one of the trending favorites to win the conference. Which also means a return to the CFP stage. A second straight Big 12 title only increases the Scottsdale, Arizona native's legend.