Arizona State Football Coach Kenny Dillingham Had 1 Wish for His Contract Extension

Ariona State head coach Kenny Dillingham (L) and quarterback Sam Leavitt celebrate after the Sun Devils win in the Big 12 Conference championship NCAA college football game against Iowa State, in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 7, 2024. Julio Cortez / AP

Arizona State athletic director Graham Rossini dropped the news of football head coach Kenny Dillingham’s five-year contract extension at about the same time the ball dropped in Times Square.

Dillingham, whose ASU Sun Devils lost to the Texas Longhorns 39–31 in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday, wanted the news to be shared quietly that night. The Arizona Republic reported that Rossini informed ASU athletics stakeholders at a private gathering on New Year’s Eve, but media outlets began reporting the news early on New Year’s Day before the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game in Atlanta.

“To be honest, I wanted that to be released at a time that people weren’t gonna talk about it,” Dillingham told reporters after the game. “I wanted this to be about the guys, the game, and the players.

“So we released it basically at midnight on New Year’s, so it’s not in the media because it’s not about me. It’s about these guys, but I’m fired up that we can continue to build this thing.”

Dillingham, 34, took the job in 2023 after stints as an assistant coach at Oregon, Florida State, and Memphis. He started his coaching career as a high school coach at Chaparral in Scottsdale, Arizona, before returning to his alma mater, ASU, as an offensive assistant in 2014.

In his second season, Dillingham led ASU to the program’s first 11-win season since 1996, a Big 12 championship, and a playoff appearance. ASU floundered with back-to-back 3–9 seasons before the 2024 turnaround.

As the No.4 seed in the playoffs by virtue of a conference title, ASU rallied from a 24–8 deficit against No. 5 Texas (13–2) to force overtime. Texas entered the game as the favorite, and many questioned whether ASU was truly worthy of a high seed.

“But when you look at it, did we belong on the field? I think a lot of people were questioning that, and I don’t think any person questions if we belonged on the field [now],” Dillingham said.

“Now, there are no moral victories when the season ends.”

Dillingham, who took ownership of his coaching decisions in the loss, pointed to using the defeat as motivation to build. ASU had a nine-game turnaround and played in a New Year’s Day bowl game for the first time in 29 years.

“This should hurt. This should be painful. The locker room is dreadful right now, and it should be,“ Dillingham said. ”And if it wasn’t, something would be wrong.

“But on the same token, now that this is over. ... I really am gonna challenge our guys to reflect on where it all started because it really is remarkable.”