Arizona State extends Kenny Dillingham's contract

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham responds to a question during a joint news conference with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian before facing off in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.Arizona State, on the eve of its first appearance in the College Football Playoff, rewarded coach Kenny Dillingham with a contract extension. Sun Devils athletic director Graham Rossini announced the move Tuesday in Atlanta, where No. 4 seed Arizona State will oppose No. 5 seed Texas on Wednesday in a CFP quarterfinal game. Rossini provided no details, but multiple media outlets reported that Dillingham received a five-year contract that will land him among the best-paid coaches in the Big 12. According to ESPN, incentives could wind up making it a 10-year contract, though Arizona state law technically prohibits public university deals from running longer than five years. The Sun Devils went 3-9 in 2023, Dillingham's first season on the job and program's last season in the Pac-12. Arizona State moved into the Big 12 this year and made an immediate splash, going 11-2 and routing Iowa State 45-19 in the conference championship game. The latter result not early gave the Sun Devils a CFP berth but also a bye into the quarterfinals. Dillingham, 34, is an Arizona State alumnus who began his coaching career at the school as an offensive assistant in 2014-15. He subsequently was a graduate assistant and then an assistant coach at Memphis (2016-18), working as the offensive coordinator his final year there. Dillingham also served as offensive coordinator at Auburn (2019), Florida State (2020-21) and Oregon (2022) before taking over the top job in Tempe, Ariz. --Field Level Media

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