Dillingham Continues to Work Towards Building Lasting Success at ASU

TEMPE -- Arizona State fans can now collectively breathe a sigh of relief after reaching an agreement on an amended contract with head coach Kenny Dillingham on Saturday morning.

The agreement reportedly included a bump in base salary, as well as more commitments to those in support of the program, including a major rise in the salary pool for assistant coaches.

There is still work to be done, however, despite the commitments made from administration to better support the third-year head coach - Dillingham lobbied as much on Saturday when asked about what must happen for Arizona State to be in a position to consistently compete for conference - possibly national - titles moving ahead.

Dillingham Lobbies For Boosters to Contribute

"We sold out every game this year. That's unbelievable. I think we've got to continue to do that. Can we sell out every game, every season ticket, earlier in this process, right? Can we get more local businesses involved? Can we get people who aren't involved, who maybe didn't go to Arizona State who did go to Arizona State and are far away. Can we get the Phil Mickelsons' involved, like, get these guys involved in our program, the Jon Rahms'. Can we get people back involved in this program, that and get them involved in a level that everybody knows, man, these guys love Arizona State."

The inclusion of both Mickelson and Rahm was a strategic move that may eventually pay-off in a major way. Mickelson attended Arizona State from 1988-92, winning 16 tournaments during his collegiate career. He is now considered one of the best golfers of all time and is playing on a lucrative deal with a newly formed golf league. Rahm became one of the best golfers in the world after graduating. These two megastars still mention their alma matter on a semi-regular basis, and have potential to make a major change moving forward with contributions.

If the NIL era has taught college football programs anything - it's that the window is open for non-traditional blue bloods to compete at a high level, but they require a financial backing to the level of what the 12-1 reigning Big 12 champion Texas Tech has. Arizona State is in a position to contend for league titles on a yearly basis due to coaching/player development, although they need an extra boost from those that are ready and willing to make an everlasting impact in Tempe.

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.

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