Arizona State Assistant Coach Reportedly Linked to Recent Opening
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TEMPE -- Kenny Dillingham might need to fill a coaching vacancy as quickly as another situation got figured out.
Reports have surfaced surrounding a Big 12 rival's interest in offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo on the heels of reportedly promoting cornerbacks coach Bryan Carrington to assistant head coach and passing game coordinator.
Utah-based reporter Sam LeSueur emphasized the possibility that Arroyo winds up in Salt Lake City after incumbent offensive coordinator Jason Beck followed former head coach Kyle Whittingham to Michigan.
ASU on SI breaks down potentiall fallout from a move, as well as how Dillingham has a ability to take over playcalling duties on a regular basis moving forward below.
The leading man in the OC search in Salt Lake City, Marcus Arroyo. Had a hand in keeping the 2019 Utah team out of the 4 team playoff, Herbert and Arroyo hung 37 on the Utes in the Pac12 championship game. pic.twitter.com/1dYmNL1qh6
— Sam LeSueur (@SamLeSueur) January 2, 2026
Arroyo's Exit Wouldn't be Shocking
The 45-year old is an awesome person and great coach - doing a phenomenal job of orchestrating the offense that won the Big 12 in 2024. However, much speculation has been bequeathed as far as the power Dillingham took on as a playcaller in the Dec. 31 Sun Bowl. It was clear that Dillingham was taking a more hands-on approach to the offense regardless if he was actually calling plays or not - as he relayed calls to Jeff Sims throughout the day.
Arizona State insider Chris Karpman stated that he was uncertain as to whether Arroyo would return in a podcast earlier in the week as well, which only adds to the questions surrounding this situation.
Dillingham Has Numerous Options if Arroyo Exits
While losing an OC that has a track record that features Justin Herbert amongst other high-level players, there would be no shortage of routes that Dillingham can take.
There are several viable in-house options, including RB coach Shaun Aguano, TE coach Jason Mohns, and WR coach Hines Ward. There would also surely be candidates from the outside as well, although those names are unclear in that event.
Dillingham also has the ability to make the radical decision to take back the duty of calling plays as well as serving as head coach. The 35-year old took over those duties early in the 2023 season after the first three games under Beau Baldwin started off on rocky ground. The impressive offensive mind called near-perfect games in wins over Washington State and UCLA despite being heavily limited by injuries and less overall talent compared to Pac-12 competition.
Arizona State begins the 2026 season with a home date against Morgan State on September 5, so there is much time to figure things out in the months ahead.
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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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.