Building relationships is the core of Kenny Dillingham’s philosophy
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham knows that there’s no magic wand he can wave to turn around the fortunes of the Sun Devil football program. In an interview Wednesday with local radio station 98.7 FM, he described the foundation of his efforts in the most pragmatic manner possible, which is a solution that can be effective on multiple fronts and one that encompasses his 88-day tenure to date in Tempe.
“If there’s one thing that I’m trying to do, that this staff is trying to do, it’s build relationships,” Dillingham said. “Build relationships with our current players, build relationships with prospects, build relationships with the other side of the (athletic department) building, with the other sports on campus, and with the valley again.”
And it’s that relationship aspect that helped Dillingham to land the crown jewel of the 2023 recruiting class, four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada. Granted, the fact that the incoming freshman is a Sun Devil legacy, the son of former Arizona State player Harlen Rashada certainly played a significant reason in that pledge; the acquaintance between Dillingham and Jaden Rashada was arguably the prime catalyst in the quarterback’s decision to join the ranks.
“I’ve had a relationship with Jaden for two, going on three years,” Dillingham described. “And there was a time where I said, ‘You know what, this isn’t gonna work, Jaden.’ And we went our separate ways at a different schools. But it was in a respectful way. And it wasn’t anything negative; it was just the way college football was trending. One thing I’m big on, knowing that we’re not going to get every player, is I really believe college coaches’ jobs are to help kids. I know, that’s kind of lost in this billion-dollar industry that people think that matters, but I still think that matters. I still think that’s my number one job is to help kids be successful. So I keep relationships with kids that I don’t even think I’m going to coach through the recruiting process and just kind of help them when they have questions.
Now I’m an innocent bystander, and I kind of was that to Jaden a little bit. I just helped him and answered questions along the way. And it just happened to be that a situation arose (Rashada’s decommitment from the University of Florida), and I was somebody he could trust at a place that he wanted to be, and sometimes things happen for a reason.”
With a roster nearing 50 newcomers, it only stands to reason that the battle for starting quarterback will be front and center in spring practice and perhaps spill over to August’s preseason camp. Dillingham believes that from a group that includes Rashada, returning starter Trenton Bourguet and Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne among others, that the starter identification may be simpler than fans may think.
“We’ll identify a starter when everybody knows there’s a starter,” Dillingham said, “and what I mean is that a starter needs to be eventually named, but a starter should name himself. If it is not clear who the guy is, then there is no starter. And just like I firmly believe that leaders emerge, the same thing with starting quarterbacks. It’s clear who the guy should be to the football team, in my opinion, and if it’s not clear, then the decision is gonna go down to the wire all the way up to game week. My goal, and the goal I’ve always had for anybody I’ve coached, is nobody’s goal should be to come in wanting to be the best player right now. The goal should be, what can I do so that when I leave here, I’m the best player and I’m the best person I can be. Mac Jones at Alabama is a perfect example of a guy who he grew (as a person) through not being a starting quarterback. And when he got his opportunity, he capitalized.
“The goal is not to be thrown into the fire and be forced into a situation that you’re not ready for. The goal is to work with your teammates to be the very best you can be to compete to raise the standard, and push each other in a healthy manner. Keep competing, keep raising the bar, and then the best man wins, and next man’s up the next year. And what did we do? Everybody got better. Everybody left here a better player, and everybody’s gonna be more successful in life and down the road because of the competition.”
And for other recruits, whether it would be from the high school and junior college ranks or the transfer portal, prospects that don’t have the intimate knowledge of the program as Rashada and his family did, ASU’s head coach knows that the intangibles and off the field aspects of the program are plenty attractive not only for players but also any person from any walk of life considering relocation to the Valley of the Sun. Dillingham wholeheartedly believes that every recruiting visitor should leave the campus during his visit so he can form a complete and accurate picture of what he can expect if he were to commit to the program.
“Anytime that you are being recruited, you got to remember you’re being sold something right by professionals,” Dillingham explained. “So, it’s not about what somebody shows you. It’s about what they don’t show. That’s the key to a visit, is when you leave a visit or when you’re on campus, and you hit the last day of your visit, you should be thinking about, ‘oh crap, what have they not shown me?’ Because those are the flaws. Those are what they’re hiding. If a school doesn’t show you their locker room, there’s a reason. A school doesn’t show you their academics; there’s a reason. If a school makes an excuse for why you’re not walking around the town, there’s a reason.
“I think the great advantage we have is this is a growing city that is one of the best places to live in the country. And if you want to go somewhere, and you’re in the building 20 hours a week in-season and eight hours a week out of season, you can argue kids come up voluntarily and all those things, but the end of the day, wherever you go to school, you’ve got to still live in the real world. You’re still a human living in the city. And if you don’t wake up, walk around the city, go to restaurants in the city, and be a person when you’re on these visits, then you’re going to show up someplace, and you’re going to be stuck in the facility and at home, in the facility and at home. You’re not going to live in a place that you want to live.”
As a valley native that is not only an Arizona State alumnus but someone who worked on the football staff for a few years, the passion Dillingham comes from not only from a deep familiarity angle but a genuine sense of pride for the environment he grew up in and the program which gave him the first taste of college football coaching. That has undoubtedly been a guiding principle in his recruiting efforts of players and in his desire to engage the fan base.
“My goal is to bring people into this building, who want to be Sun Devils,” Dillingham noted, “not were recruited to be Sun Devils. Not were told that ‘we’re going to score this amount of points and be a pro-style offense that plays fast. And our defense is going to play aggressively and attack.’ I don’t want you to come here because of that.
“I want you to wake up and say, ‘Man, I’ve always watched ASU football,’ whether you’re a legacy, whether you’re from here, I want people who walk into this building and are passionate about this place, just like I’m passionate about this place. That’s what I’m trying to build this on. I would hope that happens in the valley, and I hope there are kids in the valley that say, ‘Man, I did grow up coming to games; I want to be a part of the change; I want to be a part of something special.’ But I’m not gonna force a kid that’s even from here if he’s not passionate about this place. That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m looking for people passionate about ASU football.”
Dillingham has not hidden his desire to attract 40,000 fans for the team’s Spring Game that will take place on April 15 following Pat’s Run. Reengaging the fan base is another feat he feels can be achieved through relationship building and igniting the pure passion that does exist for college football.
“People get lost because college football is a big business,” Dillingham remarked. “You forget that college football is all about relationships. If I have a son or daughter, I am looking for somebody my son or daughter looks up to point blank. It is so much easier to say, ‘Hey, Jessica, who plays softball, and you’re seven years old, to go build a relationship and go watch ASU softball. And Jessica can grow up looking at number 13 on the field and say, ‘I want to be like her. She’s from Mesa; I’m from Mesa. She plays softball; I play softball.’ And I want the same thing with football. I want the young kids in the valley; I want the parents to bring kids out. I want to showcase our players as people. That way, our young people in the valley can look up to somebody who maybe has a similar path to them.
“And that’s where college football is unique, is those relationships; I want to get our players out in the community. So, there may be at a local middle school or high school or at a local hospital, and somebody can see our player and be like, ‘That’s somebody I want my son to grow up to be like,’ and then go bring your son to a game, so you can say ‘look, that’s him he’s playing.’ Your six-year-old son has somebody to look up to as a mentor, somebody who’s been born and raised here, or somebody that may have moved from California here just like you did, and you can grow (that relationship). And that’s really what makes college football different, is the relationships and the connection to the community. And that’s what my goal is.”
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