Sources close to Arizona State’s head coaching search told Devils Digest that Kenny Dillingham, the University of Oregon offensive coordinator, who is an ASU alumnus and served on the football staff some eight years ago, will be named as Arizona State football’s next head coach. An official announcement is expected Sunday. Dillingham, 32, will be the youngest coach at the power five level.
Dillingham is a Scottsdale Chapparal High School graduate who was also on the coaching staff with the Firebirds for six years before spending two years at ASU as an offensive analyst under Todd Graham in 2014-15.
Dillingham has been an offensive coordinator at the power five level for four years and, despite his young age, does have an impressive resume. And you have to look no further than this current season to see his group rank in the Pac-12’s top 5 in every major offensive statistical category. Going into Oregon’s contest versus Oregon State, the Ducks were averaging over 511 yards and over 40 points. Dillingham was also a Broyles Award nominee, which honors college football’s top assistant coaches.
In 2021 as the OC at Florida State, Dillingham’s offense was among the most explosive in the nation, finishing 18th nationally in plays for 60-plus yards (6) and eighth with three touchdowns longer than 75 yards. The Seminoles were also one of the top teams in the nation in red zone scoring, converting their final 32 trips to the red zone into points, the second-longest streak in the nation during the 2021 season. In 2020 the 199.9 rushing yards per game his unit posted, the program’s highest since 2016, and 20th nationally among teams that played at least nine games in 2020.
His Auburn offense in 2019 ranked 28th nationally with an average of 33.2 points per game. The Tigers also converted 90 percent of their red-zone possessions, third-best in the SEC that season.
While he will need a veteran group of assistants around him, he was a candidate who does have good connections with some of the notable ASU boosters and, as mentioned, resonates loudly as the alumnus coming home to resurrect a program that has fallen on hard times. It is expected that the financial backing of the ASU boosters not only to the football program but also to the school’s NIL effort, will significantly increase in light of this hire.
Dillingham is making a base salary of $1 million this year. His salary in Tempe is expected to quadruple.
Hod Rabino, ASUDevils.com
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