Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham named Arizona State's next head coach
Latest update:
Early Sunday morning, Arizona State officially announced Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham as its next head coach. The final approval will go through the Arizona Board of Regents, but Dillingham has already been introduced as the successor to Herm Edwards in Tempe.
"We are proud to announce Kenny Dillingham as our new head football coach. He brings the energy, knowledge and appreciation of our state and university that is valued by all of us," ASU athletic director Ray Anderson said. "His knowledge of the current college football landscape, learned by coaching across the nation, is needed and wanted at ASU. He will care at the highest level about our state, our alumni, our former players and every single group that is important to help us win. We look forward to working with him and all Sun Devils in making his staff successful and helping our program reach our goals."
ASU says it is the first time in the "modern era" that an alum of its school has been named the head coach.
"It is an honor and a privilege to be named the head coach at Arizona State University," Dillingham said. "This is a special place to myself and my wife who is also a graduate. I truly believe the team we will build here is one that the state of Arizona and all Sun Devils can rally behind and be proud of as it will take everyone in the valley to help this program achieve the level of success it is due. I am excited to get to work and promise no one will work harder than the staff we will put together."
Previous update
The timing could be better, but the end result has seemed inevitable as of late. Oregon is expected to lose offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham with the 32-year-old Phoenix native reportedly set to be named the next head coach at Arizona State. Multiple national outlets are reporting that the Sun Devils have landed on the ASU alum.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Saturday night that Dillingham was en route to Tempe after Oregon's loss to Oregon State earlier in the day with the expectation that he will be formally introduced as the team's next head coach on Sunday.
Dillingham is in his first season leading the Oregon offense after previously serving the same role at Florida State for two seasons. He has also been an offensive coordinator at Auburn and Memphis.
He previously served as an offensive assistant at his alma mater.
Dillingham has been the architect of a successful Oregon offense this season led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Bo Nix, who has found a resurgence in his career with the Ducks since transferring from Auburn.
Nix is tied for eighth among all FBS players with 14 rushing touchdowns this season, which is best among all quarterbacks. The Ducks have the 12th-best rushing offense in the country and the third-best total offense in college football.
Oregon ranks 18th in overall passing offense, nationally.
Other than needing to find another offensive coordinator, the biggest concern for the Ducks will the future of five-star quarterback commit Dante Moore. The Detroit, Michigan native cited his relationship with Dillingham, which dates back to the Oregon offensive coordinator's time at FSU, as being a big part of his decision to pick the Ducks over a host of other options back in July.
Moore, who currently is rated as the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2023 class by Rivals, is the highest-rated quarterback to sign with the Ducks in the Rivals era.
Dillingham began his coaching career as a teenager at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona after an injury cut his playing career short. He then moved up the coaching ladder at ASU and Memphis before being given an opportunity to run a college offense for the first time in 2018 at Memphis.