Oregon's Kenny Dillingham Named Arizona State Football HC After Agreeing to Contract

Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham has agreed to become the next head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils.

ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported on Saturday that Dillingham and Arizona State were finalizing a contract.

Dillingham is from Scottsdale, Arizona, and is also a graduate of Arizona State.

The news comes after Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports reported on Nov. 22 that Dillingham was the "leader in the clubhouse" for the Sun Devils head coaching gig.

Dillingham got into college coaching as an offensive assistant at Arizona State from 2014-2015. In 2016, he was hired as a graduate assistant at Memphis, and by 2018 he had worked his way up to being the team's offensive coordinator.

The 32-year-old served as offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2019 before taking over the same role at Florida State from 2020-2021. He is in his first season as offensive coordinator of the No. 10 Ducks.

Oregon's offense has flourished under Dillingham, so it's no surprise he has been eyed for the Arizona State head coaching position. Entering Saturday's game against the No. 22 Oregon State Beavers, Oregon's offense was ranked the third-best in the nation, averaging 511.2 total yards and 40.2 points per game.

Dillingham's quarterback, Bo Nix, has also been in the Heisman conversation, having completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 3,062 yards and 25 touchdowns against six interceptions, in addition to rushing for 513 yards and 14 scores.

In Arizona, Dillingham would be taking over for Herm Edwards, who was fired by the Sun Devils following a 1-2 start to the 2022 campaign. Edwards had been head coach at ASU since 2018.

Dillingham would also become the youngest Power 5 head coach in the country if hired by the Sun Devils.

Arizona State finished the 2022 season with a 3-9 record, including a 38-35 loss to rival Arizona on Friday. Dillingham would be tasked with bringing the program back to prominence in 2023 and beyond.

With the eventual departures of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, Arizona State will be expected to contend for a Pac-12 title in the near future.