NIL Funds Are at Top of Arizona State's Christmas Wishlist

The Sun Devils are seeking to compete with the best, but need more support in the NIL sphere.

Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham reacts during the first quarter against Iowa State in the Big-12 showdown at jack Trice Stadium on Nov. 1, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Fan support. Improving facilities. Competent head coaches. Nearly all of the factors that the Arizona State Sun Devils need to maintain quality athletic programs are in place.

Kenny Dillingham, Bobby Hurley, Molly Miller, volleyball coach JJ Van Niel, and many others have displayed marked moments of success during their respective tenures. Baseball, swim and dive, and volleyball have broken attendance records in the last year. The indoor practice facility for the football program appears to be well on the way to being constructed.

One thing that is missing is consistent support from within the sphere of NIL.

Arizona State was late in entering the "arms race" that name image and likeness has created - it has shown in recent years as well.

While the Sun Devils were able to accomplish things such as winning Big 12 titles in football (2024) and volleyball (2025), there are still limitations at the moment - this season of giving opens the door for individuals to make a difference that can shape the future of Arizona State athletics.

Dillingham was candid when speaking about the program's NIL efforts last Saturday when interacting with media following reports that he had agreed to an amended contract with the university.

"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 (Mickelson) involved, like, get these guys involved in our program, the Jon (Rahm), 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."

While the efforts the program has made since Graham Rossini took over as AD in May of 2024, they are still behind in many ways and surely could use a donor in a similar vein of Mickelson or Rahm.

This is a plan of attack that has proved to work in the past - as a high six-figure donation by program alum James Harden in 2024 likely funded the basketball program handsomely and was a big part in being able to keep stars such as Jayden Quaintance happy.

The effort didn't work out long-term, but it shows that when the infrastructure is supported by passionate and influential fans - there are avenues any given program can take to reach the state of consistent contention

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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