Arizona State football was the Cinderella of college football, led by head coach Kenny Dillingham. Following a heartbreaking 39-31 loss in the Peach Bowl, fellow Big 12 head coach Deion Sanders sent his support to Dillingham on X. The tweet reads, “@KennyDillingham You represented all of us from the @Big12 well my brother. We are proud of u and your team. God bless u all. You’re awesome, COTY.”

Dillingham took home the Big 12 Coach of the Year award after leading the Sun Devils to a 10-2 season. After they were picked to finish the Big 12 in last place, they won the conference championship. Furthermore, they secured a spot in the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed. Although they lost to Texas football in a grueling game, Dillingham had a powerful post for his Arizona State players and coaches.

Arizona State had the chance to play Colorado football and Sanders as a possible Big 12 title game matchup. However, the Buffaloes' loss to the Kansas Jayhawks prevented that from happening. Plus, the two programs never squared off in the regular season. Although they faced off in 2023, that was a completely different Sun Devils team compared to 2024.

Kenny Dillingham's coaching job with Arizona State football has Deion Sanders's respect

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Respect is earned in just about every profession. The same goes for coaching. Plus, Dillingham is the youngest head coach in the entire FBS at 34 years old. He had quite the journey leading up to committing to Tempe. He was at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State, Oregon, and finally Arizona State. It's not the coaching success that stands out but the cards he was dealt.

Dillingham endured a bowl ban, courtesy of previous head coach Herm Edwards and recruiting violations during the Covid-19 pandemic. Even with a three-win season in 2023, the potential was there. The creativity, passion, and enthusiasm were things not present in the previous coaching tree.

After recruiting quality players and hitting the transfer portal, the transformation was unreal. It wasn't simply a wins-and-losses improvement. It's a total mentality shift. Peach Bowl offensive MVP Cam Skattebo endorsed Dillingham for Arizona State football after the game.

Although their season is officially wrapped up, they gained the respect of just about every college football fan in the country. While Sanders might've seen this happening, it took the rest of the CFB fanbase a little longer. Regardless, the Sun Devils have much to be proud of in representing the Big 12 on one of the biggest stages.