ASU Alum Gives up on Kenny Dillingham; Accuses HC of Lying About Logistics Chaos

The Arizona State Sun Devils, led by their head coach Kenny Dillingham and returning ace quarterback Sam Leavitt, have registered their first win of the 2025 season, defeating Northern Arizona 39-19. While it may have already seemed like a cakewalk, considering the team’s 2024 playoff run. Still, the game showed that ASU might not miss Cam Skattebo too much, considering Kyson Brown, Raleek Brown, and Kanye Udoh finally showed their prowess to fill the void. Going into the Week 2 game, though, Kenny Dillingham had some complaints about his experience on the road. That has now attracted the ire of a prominent ASU alum.

Kenny Dillingham appeared at a recent conference and complained about hotels in “small towns” where the team needs to play some games. Not just that, the head coach also expressed concerns over the meals served at the hotels, and expressed worry about his players “getting sick.” However, ASU’s alumni and a former JUCO player, Jonathan Perry, bashed Kenny Dillingham for “lying” and creating a false narrative. “Kenny Dillingham lied so many times in this presser (ignorance?), it made me, an ASU alum, root for Miss State this weekend. I might just go to the game, too,” wrote Jonathan Perry on X. Moreover, Perry also had some advice for Dillingham.

“I’m hoping he’s taking his DFO’s word for this stuff rather than drawing his own conclusions,” concluded Jonathan Perry. Perry, while an ASU alum, is also a resident of Biloxi, Mississippi, and Dillingham’s take on Mississippi might not have sat well with the ASU alum. Because the ASU head coach didn’t just complain about “hotels,” it was a complaint about something the state of Mississippi is widely known for.

“We play further away from stadiums, our road game. So we stay about an hour and 15 minutes away from the stadium this week because that’s the nearest hotel, which is not a casino, to stay at. No, that’s the truth that some teams stay at the casino. That wasn’t even a joke, but it’s just the nearest hotel,” said Dillingham. Not just that, the ASU head coach also complained about not getting “hamburgers and sub sandwiches.” Fair enough, but are they worthy of complaints in pressers?

Perry’s take on Dillingham isn’t entirely wrong, since beating a team on the road comes with the package of also beating the “uncomfortable” conditions that a team might face. Sure, getting good food in Seattle is easy, as Dillingham said. But going into Starkville, Mississippi, and winning against the odds will be commendable, considering the home advantage extends beyond the stadium atmosphere, and all of what Dillingham is complaining about is part of the package. Lastly, all of these things are the concern of the DFO of the team, and, sure, Dillingham’s passion is commendable. But this time it was probably unwarranted. That said, in terms of on-field arrangements, the ASU head coach has an incredible advantage this year.

Kenny Dillingham’s assistant radiates optimism for Sam Leavitt with a bit of caution

ASU in the 2024 season lost just two games and finally made it to the playoffs, eventually losing to Texas in a nail-biting thriller. The team’s heroes on the offense were Cam Skattebo, who rushed for 1,711 yards; Sam Leavitt, who passed for 2,885 yards, and Jordyn Tyson, who received for 1,101 yards. This year, two of these heroes have returned and had a promising start against Northern Arizona. For context, Tyson averaged 11.8 yards per catch, receiving for 141 yards and 22 touchdowns. And Tyson is one of the major reasons why Sam Leavitt winning the Heisman this year is already a trending topic.

“He’s very competitive. He’s ultra-competitive in a lot of ways. I think the regulation of him emotionally is a piece that’s always going to be a battle, which is okay… You can play with emotion; you just can’t let emotion play with you. He’s really starting to mature into the position, see the game a certain way, be able to handle a few more things. Try to block out certain things that are outside noise, and really put his foot down and be who he is. That’s a challenge, and that’s going to be really, really hard,” said ASU’s offensive coordinator about Leavitt. The verdict?

Kenny Dillingham has one of the best squads in the Big 12, with his two major offensive weapons already starting to perform. As for the head coach’s complaining antics, it’s probably just his passion that is driving that. We saw it initially in the fall camp when he went on a scathing rant about his players having “no desire” after a bad practice. So, that’s the type of attitude the head coach carries. And maybe all of these can be the same antics that drive ASU again deep into the playoffs?