It sounds like Arizona State never really sweated the idea of losing Kenny Dillingham. While fans might’ve had some questions during the coaching carousel, AD Graham Rossini made it clear this week that there was never any serious concern inside the building. Dillingham’s staying in Tempe, and according to Rossini, that was always the plan.
“Keeping Kenny is an absolute priority for me,” Rossini said. “It’s an absolute priority for Dr. Crow. It was never a concern that we had about letting him move on. It was more about giving our coaches the tools to do their job at the highest possible level.”
While Michigan tried its hardest to pressure Dillingham into walking, that pretty much tells the whole story. No panic. No late-night calls trying to keep him from leaving. They knew what they had and just needed to get the contract side squared away. In a cycle where other programs scrambled to hold on to coaches or watched them walk out the door, Arizona State stayed relatively calm. That doesn’t happen unless you’ve already got alignment from the top down.
The bigger takeaway here is that Rossini and President Michael Crow aren’t just saying the right things. They’re actually doing them. If they wanted to make sure Dillingham felt backed, this was the move. Not just a raise, but a clear message that they’re building something with him, not around him. You don’t do that unless you believe in the guy running the show, and they clearly do.
It’s also a pretty strong sign that ASU is ready to take modern college football seriously. There’s been enough turnover in the wild west that collegiate programs live in, and Arizona State wants to make sure it’s not part of the mess. Keeping Dillingham and giving him real support is step one.
There was some smoke around him leaving, but thankfully, now there’s no question. Kenny Dillingham is staying at Arizona State, and the people in charge are all in.
