Kenny Dillingham wasn’t supposed to win. Not this soon. Not in this fashion. And especially not with this roster. They were low-key projected to finish at the bottom of Big 12. When Arizona State hired the then-32-year-old hometown kid in 2022, most folks outside Tempe thought it was a sentimental alum reach—a feel-good story that wouldn’t survive the fire. But by the end of 2024, Dillingham had taken a 3–9 squad from the ashes and walked them straight into the Big 12 throne room, playoff ticket in hand. Turns out, those laughs turned into silence real quick.

On the July 4th edition of the Saturday Down South podcast, college football analyst Josh Pate didn’t just drop praise—he delivered a sermon. When asked by host Connor O’Gara to pick a college football program he’d be “married to” as long as their head coach stayed put, Pate didn’t flinch. “Unequivocally, the answer is Arizona State and Kenny Dillingham,” he said. “They’re supposed to be dead. It’s like watching The Undertaker walk back down the ramp.”

In true Pate fashion, he tore up the script and leaned all the way in—likening ASU’s rise from the ashes to OG The Undertaker’s chilling return from the grave, a surreal comeback no one saw coming.

He reminded everyone how brutal things looked post-Herm Edwards, with sanctions raining down and expectations buried: “They go get Kenny Dillingham, who no one’s forecasting to be a head coach anytime soon. And they go get him because he grew up in their backyard and he’s a big Sun Devil, and he comes home. And it was—it was perceived as, “Alright, you got the hometown guy. He’ll hold the rope through the dark days, and then once you get out of that, then you’ll be able to, five, seven, ten years down the road, sort of hope to re-elevate. And Kenny said, “Wait, what? We’re supposed to what?” It was almost like he didn’t even know what reality was. And then he just—he took his personality, he put it in a giant syringe, he injected it into the entire place—and it worked.” 

He wasn’t wrong. Arizona State didn’t just win games—they made statements. The Sun Devils jumped from projected last in the conference to 11-3, took down multiple ranked opponents, and fought Texas tooth and nail in the Peach Bowl. That wasn’t luck. That was Dillingham’s fingerprints all over it: fast-paced offense, gritty culture, and a locker room that believed.

In a world where transfer portals spin rosters like roulette wheels, Dillingham somehow kept his entire two-deep intact for the 2024 season. Nobody left. Not one. In an era defined by chaos, he built trust. Real trust. And people noticed. CBS Sports gave him one of the highest coaching grades in the country, and he bagged Big 12 Coach of the Year. The man didn’t just stabilize a program—he flipped its entire reputation.

Offensively? Lights out. They averaged 33 points per game—a massive leap from the year before. Quarterback Sam Leavitt went from being labeled the worst QB in the Big 12 preseason to throwing 24 touchdowns and just eight picks. Running back Cam Skattebo gashed defenses for over 1,500 yards and walked away with Peach Bowl MVP honors. And even with their top wideout Jordyn Tyson out of the playoff game, ASU hung with one of the sport’s giants.

Let’s not forget Marcus Arroyo. The new OC came in, added wrinkles, elevated tempo, and paired with NFL vet Hines Ward to unleash a top-tier passing attack. The Sun Devils weren’t just scoring—they were demoralizing defenses. They finished second in total points scored in the Big 12, and they still have around 70% of starters returning in 2025.

Josh didn’t just say it—he stamped it. “So, I think Kenny Dillingham—as long as he’s at Arizona State—they’re not winning the Big 12 every year, but I fully believe, like, I will commit as an outsider to the way they go about doing things as long as he’s there.” They might not run the table every season, but oddsmakers already have ASU sitting atop the Big 12 odds for 2025 at +600. Not bad for a squad that was supposed to be six feet under just a year ago.

The Sun Devils remember the disrespect and ASU’s culture

If you’re wondering where that fight came from—why a roster of mostly transfer and overlooked recruits morphed into a juggernaut—look no further than the culture. And nobody summed it up better than QB1 himself, Sam Leavitt. Speaking at the Manning Passing Academy last month, Leavitt didn’t mince words. “First of all, it’s the people Coach Dillingham recruits. We kinda all have a chip on our shoulder. I felt under-recruited. Scat came from Sac State. JT was disrespected going into last year. That’s just who this team is,” he told Verdin Verdict.

That wasn’t just posturing. That was gospel. Leavitt went from MSU benchwarmer to the face of one of the most explosive offenses in college football. 2,800+ yards, 24 tuddies, and just six picks. His footwork sharpened. His deep ball dropped in like rain. And by the time he squared up with Texas, he looked every bit the future pro. His connection with Jordyn Tyson was electric. Tyson’s 1,101 yards and 10 TDs turned third downs into highlight reels, and his absence in the Peach Bowl may have been the deciding factor.

Culture wasn’t a slogan—it was fuel. Xavier Alford, Jordan Crook, Clayton Smith—they were all transfers, all labeled as guys who didn’t quite cut it somewhere else. At ASU, they became leaders. Multipliers. As defensive tackle Justin Wodtly put it, “Coach wanted multipliers, not dividers.” That meant buying in. That meant grinding. And that meant backing up the hype with hard-nosed ball.

And now? Now they’re not sneaking up on anybody. Vegas is on notice. The playoff loss was a moment, not a finish line. The disrespect still lingers. And if Sam Leavitt, Kenny Dillingham, and this culture-heavy squad have anything to say about it, 2025 might just be the encore no one saw coming—again.