For a team that just finished its worst season in the modern era and lost to its rival for the first time in six years, the vibes at Sun Devil Stadium couldn’t have been higher on Sunday morning. Arizona State’s president and athletic department wasted no time this weekend, hiring ASU alumnus and Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham as the next head coach of the football program.
Dillingham, a native of Scottsdale, spoke passionately about his allegiance to the University and the Valley as a whole. He delivered a message of positivity, emotion, and conviction to a room filled with his family, friends, and local media. He expertly appealed to fans, addressing each and every gripe that had become commonplace during the previous coaching staff. If the introductory press conference was test number one, Dillingham passed it with flying colors.
“I’m home. This is literally my home,” Dillingham said. The 32-year-old immediately began to fight back tears. “The one thing you’re going to get from me is I am who I am. And I’m fired up to be a Sun Devil.”
Dillingham leaned back and took a deep breath before gathering his thoughts and emotions as he wiped away a tear. Then he got down to business. Much like Kyle Soelle did after Friday’s Territorial Cup loss, Dillingham immediately called on the fans and the valley as a whole to come together and uplift this program.
“You want us to win at the highest level? You want to maximize the potential of this place?” He asked. “We need the valley behind us. We need butts in the seats. We need positivity, and we need to be all in. Because I am.”
“If the valley is all in, the sky is the limit,” he continued.
The hiring announcement may have been swift following the conclusion of the season, but the process was a lengthy and thorough one. President Michael Crow, Athletic Director Ray Anderson, a search firm, and a robust committee of alumni and boosters conducted a search that included a number of viable candidates. Anderson said that they would not be identifying those who were in the running out of respect for their privacy and current coaching situations. What made Dillingham the right man for the job? A variety of traits that the brass believes a successful ASU football coach must possess.
“He’s energetic. Flexible, collaborative, innovative. He’s a great listener, a strong passion for this place,” Anderson listed. “This process started months ago. We had our friends at (search firm) Korn Ferry. We had an internal group that’s been working at this for a long time. This was a coast-to-coast extensive search.”
Dillingham mentioned that he was interested in the job as soon as Herm Edwards was out in the middle of September. However, he knew that winning and putting together an impressive offensive portfolio for the rest of the season with Oregon would be the best way to afford him that opportunity.
Dillingham joins the ASU head coaching family as one of its own, which has become a theme among Anderson’s head coaching hires. Willie Bloomquist in baseball, Zeke Jones in wrestling, Missy Kae in women’s golf, and Matt Thurmond in men’s golf are all head coaches with degrees from Arizona State. “When you get a chance to bring him home, you bring him home,” Anderson said. And while his coaching journey has, of course, taken him elsewhere, he always wanted to come home.
“In my opinion, this is one of the best places to live in the country,” Dillingham explained. “People say it takes a village, well this is the fourth biggest village in the country. I’m born and raised here. This state, this place (ASU) can be special.”
The generosity of the Arizona State community was underscored in the middle of the press conference. Long time booster and former Sun Devil Nap Lawrence stood up and expressed his support for Dillingham. It wasn’t just verbal, as Lawrence continued his remarks with a $1 million pledge to the Sun Angel collective. Dillingham stood up at the podium and applauded the gesture.
“That’s unbelievable!” He exclaimed. “And he did that to inspire everyone.” A big theme of the press conference was the importance of engagement and how the ever-changing landscape of college football requires a coach who has his finger on the pulse of NIL, the transfer portal, and the need to market a program to players for reasons more than just the product on the field. Some coaches loathe the modern way, but Dillingham embraces it.
“I’m a huge believer in the transfer portal,” Dillingham said without hesitating. Before (the portal), kids would just be told what they want to hear. And if that didn’t work out, they were stuck. Now, you better be the person you say you are. You better come through on those promises.” This sentiment should be music to the ears of both players and fans, as Arizona State’s transfer portal losses and NIL efforts have been less than ideal since the inception of the new rules.
A question about how he will recruit local high school prospects triggered something in the mind of Dillingham. “Oh, we’re going to recruit it with all hands on deck,” he said before stopping and asking a reporter if he would ask him if he plans on retaining Shaun Aguano. The reporter obliged, and Dillingham emphatically answered his own surrogate question. “YES, we are retaining Shaun Aguano.” He grinned from ear to ear.
Aguano, Arizona State’s interim head coach for the final nine games of the tumultuous 2022 campaign, said on Friday that he “is not a big ego guy” and would love to stay on the staff with whoever is brought in. Despite the poor results, Aguano’s caring and deep passion for the program endeared him to players and fans alike. He held together a program that was bursting at the seams. When they could have folded and mailed it in down the stretch, the Aguano-led Sun Devils played with pride and heart for each and every snap. The 2-7 effort wasn’t enough to get Aguano the head job, but it was certainly enough to warrant retention as an assistant.
Anybody that has ever met him respects him,” Dillingham praised Aguano. “He brings a joy to you when you see him in the room.”
Aguano smiled at the kind words from his perch off to the side of the press conference. He made valuable strides with the Sun Angel NIL collective as head coach. This likely played a role in him being retained as well. With Aguano on staff, Dillingham said the commitment to recruiting Arizona’s best athletes will continue to be a priority.
The rest of his coaching staff will be assembled in short order and figures to be a mixture of returning coaches and new names. “The staff we’re going to produce is built with good people,” he said. “We’re going to be rooted in Arizona.”
There is nothing more sacred to Arizona State players, fans, and alumni than honoring the legacy of the late great Pat Tillman. When asked what number he wanted to be shown on his ceremonial jersey, deputy Athletic Director Jean Boyd said Dillingham hadn’t hesitated. As Boyd unfurled the maroon jersey and held it with Dillingham for a photo, he asked the new head coach to recite the words that were displayed on the nameplate. After Dillingham read the famous quote, he talked about what the legacy of Tillman means to him.
“The number one thing I think of when I think of Pat Tillman is a complete student-athlete,” Dillingham began. “His dedication, his belief, his passion. You can go on about Pat Tillman, of course. I’m blessed to be able to represent him.”
Representing Tillman, the ASU fans, and a University that is absolutely starved for success in its major sports is now job number one. Dillingham put his best foot forward on Sunday morning; the real work starts now.
“This is my dream job,” he repeated. “I am honored.”
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