TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State hired Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham as its coach, the school announced Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:
- At 32, Dillingham becomes the youngest Power 5 coach in the country. In his first season as OC at Oregon, the Ducks have averaged 40.2 points per game as of Week 12, which ranks fourth in the FBS.
- He replaces Herm Edwards, who was fired on Sept. 18 after a home loss to Eastern Michigan. Running backs coach Shaun Aguano was promoted to interim head coach and led the Sun Devils to a 3-9 finish, capped off by a 38-35 loss to rival Arizona on Friday to end their season.
- The ASU football program also is under NCAA investigation for alleged recruiting violations that occurred under Edwards.
Backstory
Although this year was his first as a primary play caller, Dillingham has worked as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida State, Auburn and Memphis.
He has deep in-state ties. He grew up in Arizona, playing quarterback at Chaparral High in Scottsdale. After suffering a knee injury, he turned to coaching. At 21, he was the varsity’s offensive coordinator. In 2014 and 2015, Dillingham was an offensive assistant at Arizona State, working under coach Todd Graham and offensive coordinator Mike Norvell.
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Is this the right move for Arizona State?
Despite Dillingham’s age, this is a risk worth taking. Arizona State needs someone who can grow with the program, embrace the local recruiting scene and groom quarterbacks. Dillingham checks those boxes. This season he helped turn Bo Nix into one of the top quarterbacks in the country. Sooner or later, Dillingham was going to land a head coaching job; maybe not this offseason, but it was going to happen. Arizona State decided to be out front on this — a nice change for the program. – Haller
What’s the biggest concern?
Running an offense is one thing. Running an entire program is another. Dillingham will need a strong staff around him, especially on the defensive side of the ball. (Offensively, he should try and find a way to keep Aguano.) Off the field, Dillingham will need to re-energize the fan and donor base. The frustration and anger around the program this season have been impossible to ignore. Hiring a new coach will help — it always does — but there’s a lot of work to be done here, especially in the NIL era. – Haller
Required reading
- Wasserman: Why the Sun Devils should hire and grow with Kenny Dillingham
- ‘He’s like a hype man’: How fresh-faced OC Kenny Dillingham got the Auburn offense playing with passion
- Arizona State hits another rock bottom in loss to Arizona as the program’s post-Herm Edwards era arrives
- What if Arizona State had hired Billy Napier as head coach in 2017?
(Photo: Phil Sears / AP)