As college football’s coaching carousel spins, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham is hitting the brakes. He refuses to test the waters anywhere else. In his third season with the Sun Devils, the 35-year-old has been linked to multiple Power Five openings. However, he has put all speculation to bed with a firm pledge. The Sun Devils and Big 12 keep their man, and SEC fans? Better luck next time. If the fans can’t count on an insider’s reporting, here comes another stamp from the head coach himself.

On November 7, SunDevilsSource.com analyst Chris Karpman shared a clip of Dillingham’s latest presser. The caption read, “Kenny Dillingham was asked by @Bickley_Marotta about my reporting from yesterday on informing his players that he’ll continue coaching at ASU next season.” Looks like Dillingham is not yet ready to stay away from his family. To Bickley Marotta, he confessed, “I’ve said this from the beginning — my next-door neighbor is my sister. Having the family support here is a really cool thing, my wife’s parents live three doors down.”

As Karpman of SunDevilSource reported, before ASU’s road victory over Iowa State, Dillingham visited several position groups to assure players that he plans to return in 2026. “He just walked in, said he wasn’t going anywhere next year, and that it’s going to be business as usual,” the parent of one ASU defensive player told Karpman. “Then he left. He also did that with other [positions on the team] because those players heard the same thing and they talked about it after.” But along with his love for the program, there is a personal reason, too.

Born and raised in Phoenix, Dillingham and his wife, Briana, are both graduates of Arizona State University. They share a back wall with Dillingham’s sister. In an interview, Briana shared that whenever she feels the urge to discuss anything with her sister-in-law, she just drops a “Hey, meet at the wall” text. Other than being close to his family, Phoenix has seen the head coach grow. 

Dillingham has always made it clear that he is where he’s always wanted to be. His ASU story started long before he became head coach. As a student, he slipped into offensive meetings, earning Todd Graham’s and Mike Norvell’s trust by handling any task tossed his way, even the coffee runs. The Scottsdale native then became the first former Sun Devil player or student to become the head coach of the program. With one son and another child expected early next year, the Valley has truly become Dillingham’s home. And that’s why he’s not answering the SEC’s knock at the door.

Kenny Dillingham keeps temptation at bay after realizing the harsh reality

Dillingham’s name caught the buzz about fitting into Brian Kelly’s shoes in the LSU Tigers camp. Along with this, with the Auburn Tigers showing Hugh Freeze the exit door, it seemed to be a probable choice for Dillingham. The reason? His résumé includes a 2019 stop at Auburn, where he guided the offense and mentored the quarterbacks. However, the Sun Devils head coach refused to bite the bait. 

On the PHNX Sun Devils podcast, he said, “I say all the time, like, go from sh-t house to Castle and this thing so fast, you better not get wrapped up in the feeling of the day or the week or the moment, because there are people that have been the hottest coach in the country and they’ve gotten fired two years later.” The latest example is James Franklin. He turned consistency into a trademark at Penn State, producing six seasons of 10+ wins, five of them with 11 or more, and hoisting the Big Ten trophy in 2016. However, he too faced a bitter fate. 

Feeling right at home in Tempe, Kenny Dillingham made sure his players felt it too. After their grind-it-out 24-19 win over Iowa State, the Sun Devils got a gift from their head coach. A complete bye week off. Dillingham’s message was clear: effort doesn’t go unnoticed in the Sun Devils camp.