Football

Arizona State prepares for fourth season of Kenny Dillingham era

With Arizona State football returning to the gridiron for the 2026 season opener against Morgan State at Mountain America Stadium on Saturday, head coach Kenny Dillingham addressed the media during the first of his usual Monday press conferences.

Around the same time a year prior, the conversation surrounding the Sun Devils involved returning production and defending their Big 12 title. After finishing the 2025 campaign with an 8-5 record along with key pieces like Sam Leavitt and Raleek Brown transferring to new destinations, the upcoming season for ASU both figuratively and literally resembles a blank slate.

Over 40 players will be donning the maroon and gold for the first time, and outside of starting off 2026 by adding to the win column, Dillingham spoke about the importance of evaluating how his team performs when under the lights.

“Who shows up?” Dillingham said. “Sometimes you go haywire. Some guys play better. There’s no such thing as the practice player, the game player and all that. But there are players that raise, that make the biggest plays in the biggest moments, and there are guys that struggle in that. I want to see our guys go out there and make the biggest plays, the biggest moments. I want to see our guys respond to adversity.”

One element that hasn’t changed course over the past year is the increase in fan turnout at Mountain America Stadium as the program has sold over 90% of all available season tickets, according to Dillingham in late July.

Fast forward a month later, the coach used the press conference to challenge students to break the all-time student attendance record for a second consecutive year after reaching a mark of 14,280 against Northern Arizona in 2025.

“I expect the environment to be rocking,” Dillingham said. “All these people that are in the stands now, the students have grown up with a pretty competitive football team now. They should be excited to get back to the stadium and try to break student attendance records.”

“This is the first time about 40 guys will step into (Mountain America Stadium). I want them to feel the stadium when we run out. I want them to feel the energy when we run out of that tunnel.”

Those in attendance Saturday night will be eager to get a look at the Sun Devils’ reworked wide receiver room.

The opportunity to become second-year starting quarterback Cutter Boley’s top target right out of the gate is in the hands of returners like fourth-year Derek Eusebio and fifth-year Jalen Moss alongside transfer portal additions such as fourth-year Omarion Miller, fourth-year Reed Harris and second-year Raiden Vines Bright.

“I just believe that they put in the work this offseason, and unfortunately and fortunately, success takes time,” Dillingham said.

Another skill consisting of depth from top to bottom is the running back corps. Little to no clarity has been shed on how players like fourth-year Kyson Brown, sixth-year Marquis Gillis and second-year Grayson Rigdon will factor into ASU’s plans on offense over the past five months.

However, the lack of a clear pecking order in the backfield also coincides with a change in scheming on that side of the ball as Dillingham mentioned his intention to incorporate 20 and 21 personnel into the Sun Devils’ playbook more frequently before the start of spring camp.

On Monday, he included formations that involved one, two or even three running backs in his illustration of a reactionary approach towards the opposing defense’s adjustments.

“If we can be a team that plays with multiple groupings, hopefully we can shrink call sheets on defense,” Dillingham said. “It’s basketball on grass. At the end of the day, we get five dudes that we get to kind of change who they are.”

“That’s the fun part about game planning and scheming and adjusting throughout a game. Getting a feel for the matchups because it’s a players league, not a coach’s league.”

Dillingham also announced that sixth-year Mikey Keene would be the backup quarterback behind Cutter Boley going into the season opener.

“Mikey’s been unbelievable for us,” Dillingham said. “Mikey’s a leader for us. Mikey’s an unbelievable intelligence. We felt good about his camp.”

On the other side of the ball, Dillingham pinpointed the Sun Devils’ ability to prevent the opposition from gaining traction on the ground as a top priority.

ASU has finished top 50 nationally in rushing defense in back-to-back seasons, and despite only three players who recorded at least 20 tackles last season remaining on the roster, Dillingham described the team’s defense as possessing “the most size” and “the most depth” he’s seen within the program.

“It always starts with stopping the run, so hopefully that size, that depth allows us to stop the run and all those four guys (count) as five when teams go versus,” Dillingham said.

Since Dillingham took over as head coach in 2023, preseason expectations for ASU have varied greatly from year-to-year. Yet, his mindset when the start of a new 12-game slate is on the horizon

Preseason expectations for ASU have varied greatly from year-to-year since Dillingham took over as head coach in 2023. What hasn’t is his mindset when the start of a new 12-game slate is on the horizon – limit the outside noise and keep concentration on what’s inside the building.

“I don’t really focus on other people,” Dillingham said. “I just focus on us. I truly try to say ‘Where are we at and what can we do better?’ I try to obsess over us instead because nowadays, you can obsess over who they got, what transfers here, who’s starting there. I just try to obsess over us over and over and over again more than I ever have.”