Dan Lanning’s Former Assistant Could Become Big Ten Foe At Michigan

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham has been contacted by the hiring firm overseeing the Michigan Wolverines head coaching search, per the Associated Press. The link of the Sun Devils’ second-year coach to one of college football’s premier jobs is significant.

Dillingham has become one of the quickest-rising young coaches in college football after taking over his alma mater and beginning to reshape the program. He coached one season as offensive coordinator for the Oregon Ducks under coach Dan Lanning. As the Michigan opening looms, Arizona State fans are panicked over the possibility they lose their 35-year-old coach to a blue blood college program.

Arizona State Kenny Dillingham michigan job hire interview dan lan lanning big ten wolverines sherrone moore coach fire contrac | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

If Dillingham were to leave Arizona State for Michigan, the move would carry multiple layers of significance. He would step into the Big Ten, inheriting a national brand with championship expectations, and immediately find himself on the opposite sideline of Lanning, his former boss. Oregon is expected to host Michigan at Autzen Stadium on the 2026 football schedule.

Kenny Dillingham To Michigan?

Michigan is College football’s winningest program and in need of a coach after Sherrone Moore was fired last Wednesday with cause.

On Tuesday, a reporter asked Dillingham directly if he would like to calm the panic among the ASU fans. Dillingham's response did not explicitly shut down the Michigan speculation, which futher set social media ablaze.

“I think my job is to do whatever I can for the people who are with me. The people in the foxhole, the coaches in the foxhole with me,” Dillingham said. “I got to do whatever I can to fight for those people, for my family, for everything from that perspective. I love it here. I’ve said that since day one. That’s absolutely never changing.”

Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore leads his team onto the field for the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Leaving ASU would be a rare departure from a coach deeply tied to his school, as Dillingham has frequently emphasized his long-term vision for Arizona State. However, Michigan’s opening represents a unique opportunity, one that could reshape the Big Ten landscape and add a compelling personal storyline to future matchups with Oregon.

Michigan offers Dillingham a very real shot at a National Championship, something that is much harder to reach from Arizona State. However, Dillingham grew up in Arizona and has often discussed his love for being close to family and raising his family in Scottsdale.

The Sun Devils coach grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and attended Arizona State, giving him plenty of reasons to stay with the program. But realistically, Michigan has huge power in the NIL, recruiting and transfer portal space... something that would take years for Dillingham to build with the Sun Devils.

Kenny Dillingham And Dan Lanning

Lanning and Dillingham appear to have a very supportive relationship. Lanning was thrilled for Dillingham when he got the offer to coach at his alma mater, while Dillingham was vocal on social media when Lanning received a contract extension that makes him one of the highest-paid college football coaches.

"Fired up for him!!!" Dillingham posted on Twitter/X. "Worked for everything he is getting! Literally no connections, no short cuts! Just worked!"

Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington (6) poses for a photo with head coach Dan Lanning before the game against the Southern California Trojans at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Dillingham was crucial in Lanning's first season at Oregon, helping secure quarterback Bo Nix's transfer portal commitment and leading the Ducks high-powered balance attack.

"Kenny is one of the most innovative minds in football and will bring a dynamic and explosive offense to Eugene,” Lanning said at the time of the hiring.

If Dillingham were to be hired at Michigan, he and Lanning would face the dual challenge of going head-to-head on the field while competing for recruits in the same conference. Beyond the tactical chess match on gameday, both coaches would be navigating recruiting battles, adding another layer of intensity to what would already be a must-see matchup.

Oregon's 2026 recruiting class ranks No. 3 and Michigan's is No. 11, while Arizona State's class ranks No. 41.

Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham calls out to players during practice with the Ducks on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. O40522 Eug Football Practice 10 | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The personal history between mentor and former assistant could make the Big Ten clash particularly compelling, with each game carrying both professional stakes and a storyline rooted in their shared past at Oregon.

Kenny Dillingham's Comments On Oregon

Dillingham revealed that he is hoping to build the Arizona State program into an annual College Football Playoff contender, and he used the Oregon Ducks and Clemson Tigers as comparisons.

“You can build something very, very unique," Dillingham told On3. "Every 10 years, a team shows up on the map, and they’re a blue blood to the next generation. They’re not a blue blood to the people my age, but they’re a blue blood to the 10-year-olds, the 11-year-olds and the 12-year-olds who you’re eventually going to recruit."

Dillingham has openly discussed his aspirations of guiding Arizona State along a trajectory similar to programs like Clemson or Oregon, aiming to build sustained success and national relevance.

“You have Clemson this last cycle, from 2010 to 2020. They just showed up. People think they’ve been around forever," said Dillingham. "You have Oregon from 2000 to 2010. You can go back in history and figure out which teams have shown up in which era. There hasn’t been a team in this era, in the 2020s. The lifestyle you have in Arizona, if we can create some staff consistency, and then we’re in a league where we can continually compete to win.”