Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has become one of the most popular names among college football coaches after leading the Sun Devils to a Big 12 Championship in their first season with the conference.
ASU was picked to finish dead last in the Big 12 coming into the 2024 season but pulled an uno-reverse on the rest of the league and is now College Football Playoff-bound.
At 11-2, Arizona State is probably the best story in the sport right now, and much of their success can be directly correlated to one of the best young coaches in the game.
Even with their huge success in 2024, the Sun Devils will have some attrition in the transfer portal, as is the case for every program in the country in today’s time.
ASU had nine players enter the portal when it opened on Monday, but given how their head coach has chosen to handle this part of the game, it’s not out of the question that some of those guys might remain in Tempe.
Dillingham met with media on Monday, and in less than 24 hours, a video sharing his perspective on the transfer portal has generated over 2.5 million views. Take a look.
“Our guys have the opportunity to stay on our football team, and they’re like, ‘We’ll go in (the portal) at the end,’ and I go, ‘No, that’s not fair to you to go in after our run is over. I want you to have the best opportunity to find a spot. You can go in day one right now, we’ll help you find a spot, and stay on our football team if you want to stay on our football team and let’s go on this ride together the rest of the way,’ Dillingham said.
Dillingham’s motive is clear — he wants to make it clear that the support for his players and their well-being is the priority, regardless of whether he’ll retain them as a part of the roster.
“I didn’t want those guys to feel like they had to wait to go in—because they wanted an opportunity to have a bigger role for a program—until after the CFP,” he continued. “I think that would have hurt their chances [to transfer], so I made it very clear to the guys that you can stay on the team…even if you go in the portal here that doesn’t affect me at all. That’s just us being on the same page trying to help you achieve what you want to achieve in your career.”
It’s such a refreshing perspective from one of the up-and-coming coaches in the game, and it’s no wonder why guys want to come to Tempe to play for him.
The second-year head coach continues to be one of the most relatable and adaptable people in the industry, and by making his players the priority, he’s keeping the main thing the main thing.
