Football

Kenny Dillingham is trying to avoid the reality show

From “The Kardashians” to “The Real Housewives” franchise, reality television owns American airwaves. The unexpected twists and turns, the drama, the warped reflection of the real world; it keeps viewers coming back for more, season after season.

If you were to ask Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham what he believes the most cutthroat, rollercoaster ride program in the nation is, chances are you wouldn’t get a traditional answer.

During his Monday press conference, Dillingham likened college football – with its rumors, noise and general chaos – to reality TV on numerous occasions. After winning hearts across the country with his – and the Sun Devils – underdog tale last season, he once again finds himself as a main character, swirling in storylines.

This time around, however, some of the angles aren’t as heartwarming. When Dillingham sat in front of the media, it was after ASU’s first home loss in nearly two calendar years. A sour, mistake-filled 24-16 affair against Houston. It was after special teams coordinator Charlie Ragle stepped away from the program due to health issues. It was after outsiders imagined realities where Dillingham could, in the near future, leave Tempe for other pastures.

For Dillingham, though, it didn’t matter.

Recent events and chatter don’t mean anything. He’s a man focused solely on what’s in front.

“Nothing is real out there,” Dillingham said. “It’s all what gets clicks, what sells, what creates the best reality show in college football in the market you’re in. You better not get lost in the show, and you better be who you are and be grounded.”

It was a message that Dillingham extended to his team, claiming that getting lost in the “reality show” will make players “miserable.”

Dillingham came to ASU to fulfill a dream of leading his childhood team to the greatest heights imaginable. He’s made incredible strides, getting closer than any other ASU head coach has managed in recent history, but he’s still got a ways to go.

“I’m trying to win as many games as I can here,” Dillingham said. “My number one focus is our players, our football team, everything about us. That simple. I am so singularly focused on us to win football games, to become a better football team.”

Dillingham knows that the road to becoming that better football team isn’t straight and easy. It’s winding, with bumps and dips, and Saturday’s game against Houston was a perfect example of that.

It was the Sun Devils’ first home loss since Nov. 25, 2023, when they fell to rival Arizona 59-23. It was the first time they went scoreless in the first half since Nov. 18, 2023, against Oregon, also at Mountain America Stadium.

Since those losses, ASU has set an unfair expectation of perfection at home. The penalty-riddled loss showed that perfection was just that: an unfair expectation. Outside noise is starting to clamor that this season might not be as fruitful as the last with two conference losses already and a tough schedule ahead. In the grand scheme of things, though, a season like this would’ve been celebrated with great fanfare not long ago.

Things are trending in the right direction.

“I’ve said that from the beginning, the goal is to create sustainability,” Dillingham said. “The goal is to create a standard to where your valleys are higher than they’ve ever been. … How do you create a program that, when you’re at the low, it’s still pretty dang good?”

Dillingham is continuing to create that sustainability, but It’s something that can’t be proven overnight, and he now has to continue to prove it without Ragle by his side. The special teams coordinator informed Dillingham Sunday that he needed to take a medical leave of absence.

“He’s been dealing with some things for quite a few years now,” Dillingham said. “It’s kind of come to a head where he’s got to get right and get healthy. I told him, however long that is, and whether it’s two weeks, three weeks, one week, a month, a year, six weeks, whenever you feel ready again, let’s have a conversation and go from there.”

Dillingham and Ragle have known each other since the latter coached the former at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale. After Dillingham’s playing days came to an early end due to injury, it was Ragle who gave him his first coaching opportunity.

Ragle has been with Dillingham every step of his head coaching tenure, earning praise for not only helping get the 35-year-old to where he is now, but also for transforming a Sun Devils program that Dillingham referred to as “on life support” when his regime took over.

In recent weeks, though, the special teams unit that Ragle oversaw has been underwhelming. ASU ranks dead last in the Big 12 Conference in yards per punt (38.4) and return yards allowed (167). ASU’s own return game has only been middle of the pack, and against Houston, the special teams unit committed four infractions and the usually steady redshirt senior kicker Jesus Gomez missed two field goal attempts.

Dillingham will have a more involved role with the special teams unit for the foreseeable future, but it’ll be up to Jack Nudo, who was Ragle’s assistant special teams coordinator and the special teams coordinator at Austin Peay a season ago, to take charge in attempting to turn the room around.

“He’s just a really sharp guy, good energy, good ideas,” Dillingham said. “I’m excited to see what he can do. I think it’s a good opportunity for him to really see what he can do.”

Nudo’s first test will come Saturday, on the road against Iowa State, a team in a very similar situation to the Sun Devils. The two squads faced off in the Big 12 Championship game last season and now find themselves at 5-3, with costly mistakes and poor injury luck working against them.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt left the field twice against the Cougars (once in the first quarter and once in the fourth) and didn’t return after his second exit. After the game, he was seen limping off the field, and Tuesday morning it was widely reported that he’d be out against Iowa State.

During the game, when Leavitt was healthy and when redshirt senior QB Jeff Sims took over, neither had the luxury of throwing to star redshirt junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who leads the Big 12 in receptions, is second in receiving yards and tied for second in receiving touchdowns. Tyson’s impact was sorely missed.

Dillingham didn’t discuss players’ statuses on Monday, but he showed that he has their best interests at heart.

“When Sam got up in the first quarter, he’s like, ‘I’m going back in,’ I’m like, ‘No, you’re not. You’re going to the locker room,’” Dillingham said. “‘You’re going to go get checked out. We’re going to go get X-rays. We’re going to do whatever we can do to make sure that we’ve done everything we can.’ It’s our job as a medical team to make sure that they’re playing when it’s safe.”

Without Leavitt, and potentially without Tyson, it won’t be easy going into Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones are looking for revenge from a season ago and have a proven veteran quarterback in redshirt junior Rocco Becht as well as a top-10 defense in the conference.

Both teams will be looking for a bounce-back victory (Iowa State lost to BYU 41-27 on Saturday), fighting tooth and nail to get back on the right track, and put the reality show noise behind them.

“They’re like us,” Dillingham said. “They’re very good at winning at home. Their first loss at home was last week. So, a team that doesn’t lose at home that just lost at home, that’s playing a team they played last year in the championship, that has a really good head coach, that has a returning quarterback, that has the same record as us. It’s almost like we’re playing ourselves.”