ASU's Dillingham Fired Up With Recent Spring Performances

The Sun Devils are closing out spring practice in style over the next few days.

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham watches his team as they run drills during a spring practice at Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe, Ariz. on April 14, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- Spring football is officially nearing a conclusion for the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Year four of the Kenny Dillingham era is set to commence in roughly four and a half months, when the Sun Devils take the field for the first game of the 2026 campaign on September 5 against Morgan State.

Arizona State tight ends Anthony Miller (85) and Khamari Anderson (15) during a spring practice at Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe, Ariz. on April 14, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Until then, spring/fall camp will suffice in preparing the upcoming team for a daunting 12-game slate, including several scrimmages during the last month of action. This continued on Saturday, when the designated "maroon" team secured a 17-10 victory over the "gold" team.

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham watches his team as they run drills during a spring practice at Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe, Ariz. on April 14, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dillingham Pleased With Arizona State's Effort

Dillingham spoke about how pleased he was with the overall effort he saw from the team on Saturday, going as far as saying that he already has a strong positive feeling towards a team that is largely new.

"Thought it was a lot of good work back and forth," Dillingham said. "You know, we got good situation work. We got two minutes in the half. Both teams got it. We got a two-minute where we went from like a passive scenario, to got to convert to aggressive there. And we got a chance at a long field goal at the end, right? And then we got, you know, two-minute at the end with two-minute down two possessions. So I like the work we got. I like to compete. I like this football team."

Arizona State head football coach Kenny Dillingham watches folklórico dancers perform as they arrive at the Atlantic FBO Hangar in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, ahead of the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. | Gaby Velasquez/ El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Questions Being Answered

One of the biggest points of contention for Arizona State this spring has been inconsistent physicality. While players such as Owen Long and Ashton Stamps have brought a consistent edge, it hasn't always been uniform. That certainly wasn't a question on Saturday.

Another area of question that has been answered in droves is whether the star power on the 2026 squad could carry on what the previous team left behind. Players such as Omarion Miller  (widely noted as Saturday's MVP), Reed Harris, Rodney Bimage Jr., and C.J. Fite continue to confirm that the top-end talent in Tempe has the bandwidth to compete with anyone in the Big 12.

Arizona State wide receiver Reed Harris (3) runs a route during a spring practice at Kajikawa practice fields in Tempe, Ariz. on April 14, 2026. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While Saturday was a defense-centric affair, that should be seen as a positive for Arizona State fans. The recent weeks have only confirmed that this team has a high ceiling on both sides of the ball and will likely be able to play complementary football, as they weren't able to last season. The Sun Devils are gaining some momentum.