The 2024 football coach hiring cycle has featured plenty of surprises, but none from Arizona State, where Kenny Dillingham is right where he wants to be.
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Yet, Dillingham does have a few thoughts about coaches who have issues with the challenges of being a head coach in the modern college football era, whether it’s difficulties with NIL, workloads, or other headaches.
Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham has worked too hard to quit now
At 33 years old, Kenny Dillingham is on the ‘young’ side when it comes to being a college football head coach. But he’s been in this profession since 2007, when he started his coaching career as a QB specialist/offensive coordinator at an Arizona high school.
By 2014, Dillingham was already in college football, working as an offensive assistant for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He spent the next nine years working his way up the ladder before becoming the head coach to replace Herm Edwards at Arizona State for the 2023 season.
If there’s anyone who knows how much work it can take to become a head coach, it’s Dillingham. Yet, others who have been in his position for several years are seemingly fed up with the challenges and are looking for a different role. Not Dillingham.
“I literally spent nine years of my life doing anything to become a coffee boy. So, don’t give me the ‘Oh, it’s hard to be a coach right now.’ Yeah, it’s hard. Then quit.”
Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham
Dillingham sounds like a coach who doesn’t have any plans of quitting any time soon.