(Photo: Grace Johnson/WCSN)
Whenever a coaching regime first takes the helm of a football program, many adjustments need to be made. Players often must learn a playbook and philosophy, develop chemistry with new teammates and buy into a culture that is sometimes entirely unlike the one they were a part of before. And this is very much the reality for an Arizona State football program entering its inaugural season under head coach Kenny Dillingham.
After a 33-year-old Dillingham returned to ASU — the school he graduated from in 2013 and the football program he was an offensive assistant for over the next two seasons — as the youngest head coach in the FBS last November, things predictably shifted in more ways than one.
Throughout the offseason, over 50 scholarship newcomers joined the Sun Devils, making the team significantly different than it was less than a year prior. Dillingham brought in an entirely new coaching staff, changing the program’s philosophy and culture in the process. With new teammates and a new system to acclimate, players understandably require time and repetition to get up to speed, but they aren’t the only ones making adjustments throughout spring and preseason camp.
In his first season as a head coach, Dillingham himself has some learning to do. Despite being acclaimed as one of the brightest offensive minds in all of college football, running an entire team is new to the Arizona native. And much like his players, practices during the offseason have been a precious way for him to prepare for ASU’s season opener against Southern Utah on Aug. 31.
“If you noticed, I stood on the sideline today because I need work being on the sideline,” Dillingham said. “I’m not going to be behind the quarterback or in the box.”
Although how Dillingham fares as head skipper is to be determined, his reputation and track record leading up to this point certainly gives reason for optimism.
After being named the offensive coordinator at Chapparal High School — under current ASU assistant coach and special teams coordinator Charlie Ragle — at just 21 years of age, Dillingham spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as an offensive assistant with the Sun Devils. He would then serve as a graduate assistant and quarterbacks/tight ends coach before becoming the Tigers’ offensive coordinator in 2018.
And the offensive mastermind didn’t disappoint.
In one season with Dillingham as offensive coordinator, Memphis averaged the fourth-most offensive yards per game (532.1) in the nation. Dillingham would continue to thrive in the same role at Auburn (2019), Florida State (2020-21) and Oregon (2022), helping develop Oregon senior quarterback Bo Nix and Florida State redshirt senior quarterback Jordan Travis, who are both projected to be top quarterbacks this upcoming season.
Despite being known as an offensive-minded coach, Dillingham has made a great effort to work with players on both sides of the ball in the hopes of understanding how to help each position group.
“Being able to feel like I can add value to the defensive side of the ball, not just being offensive-driven,” Dillingham said. “Being able to go over to the defense and say, ‘This is what the offense is looking at, this is why this disguise is so important, this is why if you put the guy in a four instead of a five, it makes this gap scheme so much more difficult.’ So I love being able to go over to both sides of the ball.”
As Dillingham grew and continued to ascend the FBS coaching ranks, one thing hasn’t changed: his energy and love for football, which was almost immediately apparent during preseason camp. While players participate in drills, walkthroughs and scrimmages, Dillingham can be seen – or heard – constantly moving between position groups and emphatically giving instructions or demonstrating correct techniques.
“It’s hard for him to sit still,” Ragle laughed. “I think he’s always been that way. So you certainly appreciate that and I think, obviously, as the head coach, you’re on your toes, you gotta be on your toes. Situations change, you never know what’s coming at you from day to day, so I think that certainly behooves him in the process.”
For Dillingham, being on his toes can even mean participating in a drill, acting as an opposing linebacker during pass protection drills or sprinting as he demonstrates how to block. Coaches approach working with their players in very different ways, but being heavily involved with athletes and leading by example is what gives Dillingham an unwavering passion for coaching.
“I just love coaching,” Dillingham said. “I don’t know if it’s about the players, I just love doing it. I love coaching, I love teaching, I love explaining. That’s what I love to do, that’s why I do this… So I’m always going to do that.”
Perhaps the best example of Dillingham’s love for teaching is his relationship with freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada. A four-star quarterback in the 2022 class, Rashada enters Tempe with a great deal of hype and expectations, which have only been amplified as he’s currently in the midst of a quarterback competition. But he is still susceptible to freshman mistakes while adjusting to Power Five football.
One of these errors came during Saturday’s practice when the Pittsburg, California native underthrew graduate wide receiver Melquan Stovall, leading to an easy interception for freshman defensive back Shahid Wilson. At the play’s conclusion, Dillingham was right by his side to talk things over. About twenty minutes later, Rashada connected with freshman wideout Korbin Hendrix for a long gain, and Dillingham was praising his young quarterback before he even completed the throw.
Since he first set foot on campus, Rashada has developed with Dillingham by his side every step of the way, and given his head coach’s resumé, Rashada knows it’s a match made in heaven.
“[Dillingham]’s a big reason why I ended up here,” Rashada said. “So [his advice] is pretty valuable. I’m just blessed to be in the position I am with great coaching and great teammates around me. But it’s definitely helped me a lot having coach [Dillingham].”
From his introductory press conference in November until now, it’s been abundantly clear how much ASU means to Dillingham. A head coaching role is still uncharted waters for Dillingham, but so far, his fellow coaches have had nothing but good things to say.
“We came back here for a purpose of what we believed this place can be,” Ragle said. “We’re just getting started, but it’s very satisfying every day to get up and know you’re coming to a place that you truly believe in and doing it with people that you love and care about. And when you have that combination, success is just around the corner.”
