Kenny Dillingham Makes Arizona State Contract Decision Amid Michigan Rumors

Dillingham had been one of the coaches most frequently floated for the Wolverines job.

Kenny Dillingham has signed an extension to remain at Arizona State. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yet another top college football coach has opted to remain at his current job—and alma mater—amid reported interest from one of the sport’s blue bloods. As Michigan seeks its next coach after the dismissal of Sherrone Moore, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham signaled that he’s staying put in Tempe, Ariz.

Dillingham has signed a new contract to remain at Arizona State, a deal that will pay him $7.5 million per year for five years, with an increased salary pool of $11 million, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports. Incentives could extend Dillingham’s deal to 10 years.

The deal is now pending board approval, per Thamel.

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The Arizona State coach, who put himself on the map last season, turning the Sun Devils from a three-win club to an 11-win Big 12 champion that took Texas to the limit in the College Football Playoff, has been floated as a candidate for a number of top jobs that opened this year. As the likes of Florida, LSU and Penn State closed, he remained in Tempe. Outside of Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, he is the coach most often connected to the new opening at Michigan, but the Saturday decision signals that he won’t be heading to Ann Arbor.

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Prior to landing the head coaching job at his alma mater, Dillingham was offensive coordinator at Oregon (2022), Florida State (‘20–21), Auburn (‘19) and Memphis (‘18). He doesn’t have any coaching experience in the Big Ten or the Midwest.

Dillingham is 22–16 at ASU, with an 8–4 record in 2025 despite significant injury issues including those that limited star quarterback Sam Leavitt to just seven games. The Sun Devils will face ACC champion Duke in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

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