Even before college football season fully arrives, folks can’t help themselves from wondering whether their beloved coach will be around next season or not.
Bruce Feldman covers college football at The Athletic, and he recently assembled his list of “carousel candidates,” national coaches around the Power Four, and beyond, that may soon find themselves on the move. Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham was among the names, which includes Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Jedd Fisch at Washington. Should the Sun Devils reach unforeseen heights this season, is their beloved head coach in jeopardy?
Dillingham and Arizona State
Dillingham has just one losing season among his three in Tempe. Last year saw the Sun Devils rest at 8-5 overall and 2024 saw ASU earn its first-ever Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff berth at 11-3; Dillingham’s 2025 contract extension nets him $7.5 million per year through 2030, with a $9 million buyout should he leave town before the end of his agreement.
Should another interested, Power Four program come along, they’d be pursuing a hefty buyout and Dillingham’s public history of backing ASU against outside interest. He’s been quite transparent about his passion for the school and its football team; It’d take a serious, undeniable opportunity to sway Dillingham away. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but he appears rather tethered to Tempe.
Arizona State Outlook for 2026
The Sun Devils enter the Big 12 picture as a potential dark horse in 2026.
Despite the loss of starting quarterback Sam Leavitt to LSU, Dillingham is working with a talented arm in Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley, who beat Mikey Keene and Jake Fette for the job in camp. He’ll be protected with a transfer-heavy line, too, featuring veterans Luke Baklenko (Oklahoma) and Jalen Klemm (Washington).
It’s a tough schedule, but there’s some chances to surprise some folks with marquee matchups against Kansas at Wembley Stadium in London, and a road tests at Texas Tech and BYU in October.
