Fun Sparks Connectivity for ASU Football

(Photo: Grace Johnson/ WCSN)

TEMPE – Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham has the phrase “Have fun working harder than everyone else in the country” on his wall. Dillingham often says the phrase in his press conferences, as it is something he wants the team to live by.

It is one of Dillingham’s three rules that he wants the team to follow, along with being a good person and making good decisions. Last year, the rules proved to be a successful formula as ASU made the College Football Playoff for the first time in one of the most successful seasons in history.

Dillingham proved he truly means his rules, as on Apr. 22, the team went to the Dillingham house, where they hosted a pool party that featured redshirt senior defensive linemen Clayton Smith and Justin Wodtly picking up Dillingham and throwing him in the pool. Some of the players played basketball as well.

“(Dillingham) talked with us on the (Pat Tillman) Leadership Council, saying ‘we’ve been working this spring, pushing each other competing,’” redshirt senior defensive back Xavion Alford said.

Dillingham often lets players have fun in practice by letting some play both sides of the ball. On Apr. 23, that happened a few times, most notably with Smith making a leaping grab from redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, making a catch over redshirt junior wide receiver Jalen Moss, that the rest of the defense celebrated.

In the fan fest practice redshirt senior offensive lineman Josh Atkins, redshirt senior defensive lineman Prince Dorbah and redshirt junior defensive lineman Blazen Lono-Wong all caught punts successfully. Redshirt junior Jalen Klemm and Smith caught passes as well on offense in the same practice.

The highlight of the fan fest was redshirt senior tight end Chamon Metayer going up against redshirt senior quarterback Jeff Sims, who was lined up at receiver. Leavitt slightly under threw a deep ball that Sims adjusted to well, but Metayer ran through Sims knocking him down. Sims wanted a flag but no official was looking.

“Kids are just able to be themselves,” Dillingham said on why the team has fun. “Having a program that shapes itself in the light of the kids, that’s what we’re about.”

Someone who is new to Dillingham’s rules is junior running back Kanye Udoh, who transferred from Army. The vibes and the energy are higher compared to his time at West Point, creating a much more fun practice environment with a lot less strictness. Udoh feels that he can bring his work ethic which focuses on the little things, to help him be successful.

“We embody that, having fun, enjoying what you’re doing, but still keeping the standard,” Udoh said. “That’s why most of us started playing football.”

Udoh wants the staff to trust him, which is a byproduct of making good decisions and being a good person, which will be a factor in his playing time.

Udoh likes the balance of enjoying playing the game of football while still having the intensity that he needs to. Udoh likes to sing to the music during practices. This spring, Dillingham has had “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” by Queen constantly on repeat while mixing in modern favorites like Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.”

Unlike Udoh, junior defensive back Keith Abney II has exclusively been with Dillingham. Abney believes that Dillingham exemplifies his sayings, creating an environment that the team can easily rally around.

“He’s the model for it,” Abney said. “He lives by his motto, so it’s easy as a team to adapt that.”

Fellow defensive back Alford has jumped around multiple programs. Alford feels that Dillingham’s blueprint is pretty close to how he believes people should live their lives. He feels that working hard, making good decisions, having fun and being a good person will result in success no matter what they are doing.

Alford attributes Dillingham’s three mottos to life skills that he uses normally on a daily basis. He feels that working hard, having fun and making good decisions will lead him to be a good person.

“I would say I’ve always lived that way,” Alford said. “I don’t think it’s rocket science, anything like that.”

Alford feels that, with football being a violent sport, it is harder to be a good person, but he can be one. He is a good person in practice by using his leadership skills to point out things that might not be the best decision and correct them, like when someone commits a penalty, which costs the team yards in 11-on-11 or seven-on-seven drills.

Alford is a proven leader as he is on the Pat Tillman Leadership Council. Alford looks to use his life skills to fill the leadership role of the graduated defensive back Shamari Simmons and help lead the Sun Devils to another successful season.

“The biggest thing I’ve taken away is just enjoying the moment,” Udoh said. “That’s really what it comes down to.”

Udoh will continue to adjust to a culture that prioritizes fun in order to win, as he plans to have a significant role within the team. Alford and the other leaders will try to get Udoh and the other newcomers connected to the team. Udoh is already in a group chat with the other running backs.

A commonly used saying in football is “a connected team is a dangerous team.” This Arizona State team appears to be connected through Dillingham’s rules which could bring the team to another deep run in the 2025 season.

“Being close and having that team chemistry is what allowed us to have the season we had last year,” Alford said. “We’re trying to build the same chemistry, build our own bond and take that into fall camp and into the season.”