This offseason, as schools like LSU, Michigan, Florida, and others looked to find a head coach, Arizona State found itself on shaky footing. Seemingly, every fanbase was clamoring for their program to hire Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham. Instead of bolting for the bigger job, Kenny Dillingham made the rare move to continue building his own program.
Kenny Dillingham is an Arizona State alum, and when he says the program means too much to him to leave, he feels like the rare coach you have to believe. While the Sun Devils' head coach got a contract extension, he had a bigger ask. Dillingham begged for someone to step up, and help this program build like it's counterparts.
NEW: Kenny Dillingham called for a big donation to Arizona State after his contract extension:
— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) December 21, 2025
“We need to find one of these really rich people in this city to step up and stroke a check. I’ll do everything I can to make you the most famous person in the city. That’s really what… pic.twitter.com/IhUj7zzi91
Kenny Dillingham gets his wish with game-changing donation
After asking for someone to step up and make the investment in what he's building, the story seemingly went quiet. Then on Thursday, Kenny Dillingham shared that the Sun Devils received a massive donation to help fund the program's new indoor practice facility.
Kenny Dillingham called upon the community back in December for someone to write a $20 million check to ASU football.
— Blake Niemann (@Blakes_Take2) February 19, 2026
Dillingham says on @AZSports someone has made “very close” to an eight-figure donation to help fund ASU’s new indoor practice facility.pic.twitter.com/CBkafYzZTC
While every program around the Country is seemingly cashing in with major donations from alumni or local businesses, Arizona State pulling off the feat feels notable. We haven't seen a coach ask for money in the way that Dillingham did, especially at a smaller program, and for the move to work out only elevates Arizona State's ceiling long term.
The interest in hiring Kenny Dillingham isn't going to go away as he's proven that he's a rising star head coach. Arizona State proving that it can fund the team like Texas Tech is doing in the Big 12 will show that he doesn't need to take another job to build a winner. We see coaches leave programs way too often, and for a team like the Sun Devils to keep Dillingham would have a special level of feeling.