This offseason, the college football coaching carousel has taken some drastic turns as we've had one of the most dramatic coaching cycles in a long time. When the drama appeared to be over, it only started again when Michigan fired Sherrone Moore starting the music for another round of musical chairs.
During the first round of hiring's, Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham became a hot name for programs, but he didn't show any interest in leaving. Dillingham went to Arizona State, and he's talked about how much the program means to him countless times in stating why he wouldn't leave.
When Michigan opened up, and people started to name Kenny Dillingham as a potential candidate, it didn't line up with everything that he said. If you take a look at how the offseason has started for Arizona State, everything becomes clearer about why Dillingham's name isn't going away.
Kenny Dillingham is facing the harsh truth of college football
As the Michigan Wolverines are interested in Kenny Dillingham, he's talked about how much Arizona State means to him, but he still hasn't reached a contract extension with the school.
Kenny Dillingham says he hasn’t spoke with Michigan about its coaching vacancy:
— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) December 13, 2025
“In today’s era, I think it’s one of the best jobs in the country and I think everybody can attest to that. That doesn’t change how I feel about here…It’s a great opportunity for somebody.” pic.twitter.com/aP49KTzA2E
If you look at what Arizona State's currently dealing with in the Transfer Portal, it would be hard to say that staying in Tempe is the right decision. Star quarterback Sam Leavitt is leaving the program, and is ranked as the top player in the Transfer Portal as he'll be able to make far more at any other program.
It's not just his star quarterback that's leaving Arizona State, but Dillingham will also lose starting offensive tackle Josh Atkins and star cornerback Javan Robinson.
When you look at the quarterback position alone there's a stark difference in where Arizona State is on the totem pole compared to Michigan. The Wolverines just gave a high school recruit in Bryce Underwood a massive NIL deal to lure him the school as an unproven player. The Sun Devils on the other hand can't compete with the resources that other programs can off Sam Leavitt who's already proven he that he's one of the best in college football.
There could be many reasons that Dillingham hasn't signed an extension to this point with Arizona State. Signing the new deal may not be a priority for him until the season is over which could make perfect sense. More likely is that Dillingham is less concerned with what he's getting in the deal, and more concerned about what Arizona State is going to do to help him build a roster and retain stars.
College Football has never been more driven by financial investments than it is as this point in time. In the past, Kenny Dillingham would be able to stay and continue building up the program, but now the financial side has to be accounted for. Each day that passes without Michigan having a head coach or without him signing an extension only makes the situation more interesting.