ASU's Kenny Dillingham Reiterates Importance of Local Athletics

The Sun Devils' head football coach spoke in a unique setting on Monday afternoon.

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 -- The Arizona State football program has arguably been a beacon of everything that is right in a messy environment that the world of college athletics are at this current juncture.

Part of the equation in this development has been head coach Kenny Dillingham - who decided to remain loyal to the program despite several overtures from several powerful programs.

Dillingham has never been timid about expressing his love of the state of Arizona and the university - as well as a stated desire to keep in-state recruits around for their college careers.

ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham celebrates with Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (0) after a touchdown drive against BYU during the first half at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Nov. 23, 2024. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The love of the state took a fascinating turn on Monday morning, when the 35-year old spoke at the beginning of the opening session for the Arizona state legislature in 2026 - where he expressed the necessity to commit for fostering competitive environments in youth sports programs, as well as investment in rising athletes.

Dillingham is All-in on Arizona

"I come up here to say sports are my livelihood. But it's bigger than that. It's about this state, rallying together, activating together to make our sports programs great, which will then allow our future kids to grow up in competitive environments, grow up and want to compete, grow up and want to be connected with a state institution, to go to that state institution, to stay here and live here and build their businesses here. I think that all starts through the connection to the university, and I think that connection is proven to start through sport."

The stressing of importance surrounding developing local athletes is something that has been a recurring theme for Dillingham over the years - as the head coach grew up in the Phoenix area, attended Chaparral high school, and was a graduate of Arizona State in 2012.

The Sun Devils currently hold two commits from the 2026 class that hail from Arizona - safety Zeth Thues, who hails from Liberty high in Peoria and EDGE Sinei Tengei, who played at Westwood high in Mesa.

The 2027 class has potential to be the one that in-state efforts finally pay off, as there is a concerted effort to secure commitments from several high-level athletes. The prized recruits include Basha tackle Jake Hildebrand and running back Noah Roberts - who were key cogs in the 2025 state title team. Receivers Zerek Sidney and Jai Jones are two other local prodigies that are of extreme interest for ASU in the upcoming class.

Basha offensive tackle Jake Hildebrand (74) celebrates winning the Open state championship against Chandler at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Dec. 6, 2025. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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!