TEMPE — Kenny Dillingham’s rapid rise through the coaching ranks took him from the Southwest through the South, into Florida and up to Oregon.
His successes along the way pushed him to become the youngest head coach at a Power Five program, a 32-year-old tasked with resuscitating an Arizona State program mired in mediocrity.
Back in the Valley of the Sun, where he grew up and graduated from college, Dillingham had a hard time containing his emotions Sunday after being introduced as the Sun Devils’ next coach.
“I’m home,” said Dillingham, pausing several times to compose himself. “I say that because this place is special, this state is special, the people in this room are special. Pretty emotional. That’s just who I am. That’s one thing about me, I am who I am. I’m the same person every day I show up for work. I’m fired up to be here, fired up to be a Sun Devil.”
Dillingham takes over a program in need of a jolt.
Arizona State’s Herm Edwards experiment fizzled out after five years and interim coach Shaun Aguano, while well respected, was not able to turn things around. Arizona State went 2-7 under Aguano and finished 3-9 for its worst non-pandemic season since 1994.
Arizona State also is in the NCAA’s crosshairs for hosting recruits on campus during an NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period in 2020.
The reigns are now in the hands of Dillingham, the enthusiastic coach who played and coached at Scottsdale’s Chaparral High School before being hired as an offensive analyst by former Arizona State coach Todd Graham in 2014.
Dillingham spent two seasons at Arizona State before following Mike Norvell to Memphis, where he spent three seasons. Dillingham was named Auburn’s offensive coordinator in 2019 and spent two seasons in the same position at Florida State.
He joined Dan Lanning’s staff in Lanning’s first season at Oregon and helped turn the Ducks into one of the nation’s most explosive offensive teams.
“As young as he is at 32, the multitude of accomplishments and successes that Kenny Dillingham brought to the table was undeniable,” Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson said. “This is a place where you need someone who loves this community, loves this university, loves this state, and I believe when you get a chance to bring them home, you bring them home.”
Anderson took a calculated gamble in 2018 with the hiring of Edwards, a former NFL coach and TV analyst.
The loquacious coach won over Arizona State’s fan base his first couple of seasons, proving to be an adept recruiter while leading the Sun Devils to consecutive bowl appearances.
Arizona State couldn’t sustain the success on the field and the program fell into the NCAA’s crosshairs for hosting recruits on campus during an NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period in 2020.
Shaw: ‘It was time’
STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford coach David Shaw resigned Saturday night after finishing his 12th season at his alma mater with a 35-26 loss to BYU that dropped the Cardinal to 3-9.
Shaw, 50, led Stanford to five double-digit win seasons, with three Pac-12 titles and Rose Bowl appearances in his first six years as head coach. He finished with more wins than any coach in program history with a 96-54 record, and was considered one of the most respected coaches in the country.
Shaw arrived unusually late to his postgame news conference and said his decision only came in the last few days.
“A week ago, 10 days ago, I was gung-ho to be the person to lead us there, and over the last few days I realized it was time,” Shaw said. “It was time for me to step aside, time for the next group to come in, and hopefully whoever they hire next wins more games than I do. That would be awesome.”
The falloff in recent years has been drastic. The Cardinal are 14-28 over the last four seasons as the program has struggled to keep up in a rapidly changing college football landscape with players transferring more freely and earning money for name, image and likeness.
Video shows Ducks LB throwing punch
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon’s athletic administration said Sunday it is gathering information after video surfaced showing Ducks outside linebacker DJ Johnson striking a person in Oregon State gear on the field after Saturday’s game at Reser Stadium.
Johnson is seen punching the person from behind and then being restrained and led away by what appears to be two Oregon staff members.
“We are aware of a postgame exchange involving a member of our football team and a fan and are working to gather more information,” the Oregon athletic department said in a statement.
Oregon State came back from a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the rival Ducks 38-34. The loss cost Oregon a spot in the Pac-12 championship game.
“We are (aware) of this matter and are confident that the Pac-12 Conference and the University of Oregon will investigate this matter and deal with it appropriately,” Oregon State spokesman Steve Clark said in a statement to The Associated Press.
