Few head coaches have risen through the college football ranks quicker than Kenny Dillingham, who has already established himself as one of the sport's best with Arizona State.
Although the 35-year-old constantly receives questions about his future, Dillingham has remained committed to the Sun Devils. The head coach got emotional when speaking about what the school means to him on Saturday, taking a 30-second pause while opening up about how “special” it is.
“I love this place,” Dillingham said, via 247 Sports reporter Jakob Brooks. “This place, it's a special place to me.”
Kenny Dillingham was asked what makes coaching at ASU special. He was visibly emotional, taking a long pause with tears in his eyes before answering:
"I love this place… It's a special place to me."@SunDevilSource pic.twitter.com/6SPCfRL9Ed
— Jakob Brooks (@Jakobrooks) December 13, 2025
Dillingham graduated from Arizona State in 2012 and is a native of Phoenix, Arizona. He began his coaching career in the Arizona high school football circuit before becoming an assistant with the Sun Devils in 2014, and eventually returning as head coach in 2023.
Dillingham's comments come as contract extension rumors begin to heat up. He is considered a finalist to replace Sherrone Moore as the head coach at Michigan, but does not appear to be interested in leaving his alma mater.
In three years with the team, Dillingham has a 22-16 record at Arizona State. His record, however, is generally misleading and does not depict the complete program turnaround he instilled in the program.
Dillingham was thrown into the fire when he accepted the job after Herm Edwards drove the program into the ground. Arizona State had just three wins in its three previous seasons when he took over, but Dillingham led it to the College Football Playoffs in just his second year.
Arizona State, Kenny Dillingham prepare for rigorous offseason
As solid as Arizona State has been under Dillingham, the Devils are amid a tough transition in the 2025-2026 offseason. They ended the 2025 season with an 8-5 record, but failed to deliver on the expectations set from the year before.
The continuous growth only gets more complicated in the offseason, even if Dillingham inks an extension. After suffering from the loss of do-it-all star running back Cam Skattebo in 2025, Arizona State is set to lose two more impact players.
Dillingham has already been preparing to lose wideout Jordyn Tyson, who is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He suffered another major blow when quarterback Sam Leavitt announced his decision to enter the college football transfer portal.
Given the departures, Dillingham signing an extension would be the only factor preventing a complete rebuild in Tempe.
