Arizona State Sun Devils coach Kenny Dillingham has won a Big 12 Championship and reached the College Football Playoff at Arizona State. Dillingham revealed that he is hoping to build his program into an annual contender, and he used the Oregon Ducks and Clemson Tigers as comparisons.
In a recent interview with Dillingham, On3’s Pete Nakos asked the Sun Devils coach about potentially being hired away from Arizona State, but Dillingham is instead focused on the opportunity of building in Tempe, Arizona.
“You can build something very, very unique. Every 10 years, a team shows up on the map, and they’re a blue blood to the next generation. They’re not a blue blood to the people my age, but they’re a blue blood to the 10-year-olds, the 11-year-olds and the 12-year-olds who you’re eventually going to recruit,” Dillingham told Nakos.
Dillingham spoke about his hopes of emulating the trajectory of a program like Clemson or Oregon.
“You have Clemson this last cycle, from 2010 to 2020. They just showed up. People think they’ve been around forever,” said Dillingham. “You have Oregon from 2000 to 2010. You can go back in history and figure out which teams have shown up in which era. There hasn’t been a team in this era, in the 2020s. The lifestyle you have in Arizona, if we can create some staff consistency, and then we’re in a league where we can continually compete to win.”
Under Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, Clemson has won two titles in the College Football Playoff, dominating the ACC at the same time. The Ducks have not had success close to Clemson’s, still chasing the elusive national championship, but Oregon has proven the ability to sustain success over a number of years.
The definition of a blue blood is a contested one in college football, and Dillingham clarified his comments on social media.
“Of course I should believe we can build something, so should every coach of a program. We are a LONG way away from this and the context was about why I want to be at ASU for the long haul. 1 season proves nothing. It’s a marathon not a race,” Dillingham said.
Dillingham worked with Ducks coach Dan Lanning as Oregon’s offensive coordinator for one season. Lanning and Dillingham recruited former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix to play for the Ducks, and he eventually played his way into the first round of the NFL Draft with the Denver Broncos.
As one of the youngest coaches in college football, Dillingham quickly rose through the ranks. His work with the Ducks was his last as an offensive coordinator before he was hired to lead Arizona State’s program. The Sun Devils coach grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended Arizona State, giving him plenty of reasons to stay with the school.
