Arizona State AD Updates Kenny Dillingham's Contract Talks
In this story:
TEMPE -- The last week-plus has been a tense one in Tempe, as the Arizona State athletic department is working to keep third-year head coach Kenny Dillingham in town long-term after what has seemingly been a full-court press by Michigan to pry the rising coach away from the place he considers home.
Athletic Director Graham Rossini took to local radio show "Burns and Gambo" on Thursday afternoon to discuss the urgency of contract negotiations - with an amendment that potentially includes concessions to the 35-year old being the ultimate goal.
"I'm aware of the situation around our sport right now, aware that we can't just play these processes out. We've been hard at work at it for a long time, and again, fine tuning little details along the way. I mean, coach, coach and I have very open dialog about the tools that can help the program grow. And so we're finding those tools were because it's deserved.
It's deserved based on the job that he's doing. It's deserved based on how our fan base continues to step up, and we're all reaping the benefits of that as a community, not just as you, but the community across the board. Is what Senate will football is just continuing to catapult for all of us. So I can, I can promise you, it's my top priority. I can promise you, we're up all hours of the night working on details."
The urgency is obviously present within the operation - and a resolution might be reached in the coming days. ASU on SI takes a look at what the head coach might be seeking with an amended contract below.
Dillingham Likely Seeking More Support
Arizona State insider Chris Karpman previously reported that Dillingham and his camp had been in negotiations surrounding an updated contract following the 23-7 loss to Arizona on November 28.
A bump in base salary is expected to be part of the agreement if/when it is official, but there are other areas of improvement from within the football program that the university is likely to agree to in extension of the base pay bump.
Among them might be Dillingham's desire to hire a general manager to aid in managing NIL efforts, negotiating with agents, and working on roster building in a dynamic duo effort. Another area of desire is likely an increased salary pool for assistant coaches and support staff to retain contributors to the program who are highly valued.
Dillingham witnessed the unraveling of the Todd Graham era firsthand - the assistant coach losses were some of the most blatant contributions in what eventually boiled over.
The most obvious need is a more potent and wide-encompassing NIL effort. While the NIL sphere is improved from what it was two years ago in Tempe, the Sun Devils are lagging behind Texas Tech in the Big 12, while BYU has geared up over the last two years as well - including securing five-star QB Ryder Lyons as part of the 2026 class.
Is There Timetable on Dillingham Decision?
The recent comments by Dillingham made it clear that his preference is to stay in Tempe - no words were minced there.
The pressure is clearly on University President Michael Crow to recognize that this is an inflection point in the history of the school - not just athletically, but as an institution. Losing Dillingham would result in fallout that would take many years to rebound from.
The hope is that the two sides will reach an agreement in the coming days, and we expect just that. It would be a surprise to see this saga drag out beyond the Christmas-day range, as the transfer portal window is set to open shortly after, on Jan 2, to be exact.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.
Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.
Please follow us on X when you click right here, as well as @khicks_21 for nonstop Arizona State coverage!
Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.