Arizona State Sun Devils HC Kenny Dillingham Agitated With Coaches Complaining About the State of College Football

Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham was extremely blunt regarding the fact that many college football coaches are not interested in the modern landscape of college football with NIL and the transfer portal changing the sport.

In an article from on3, Dillingham explains how hard it was for him to reach the position he is in today. He was essentially implying some head coaches are ungrateful for the positions in which they find themselves.

“I literally spent nine years of my life doing anything to become a coffee boy,” Dillingham said, via Sarah Kezele of AZ Sports. “So, don’t give me the ‘Oh, it’s hard to be a coach right now.’ Yeah, it’s hard. Then quit.”

Many coaches have complained about the state of college football, unlike Arizona State Sun Devils HC Kenny Dillingham

Although some college football coaches have moved to the NFL or taken fewer responsibilities within college football, other coaches have openly complained while staying put.

Former head coach of the UCLA Bruins Chip Kelly left his head coaching job to become a coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He cited NIL as a factor in taking the job with the Buckeyes.

In my last conversation with Chip Kelly, he said something I’m thinking about now.

Said Kelly: “NIL defeats weather.”

My column on Kelly’s decision to leave UCLA for Ohio State: https://t.co/fkifO0lcYU pic.twitter.com/hbV5tqOpkm

— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) February 9, 2024

NC State Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren simply referred to the opening week of the transfer portal as the worst week in college football.

NC State coach Dave Doeren calls for fans to donate to @SavageWolvesNIL @packofwolvesnil. Asks for 5,000 fans to donate $1,000 apiece so we can “recruit, retain and develop.” Calls coming week “maybe the worst week in college football” with portal opening.

— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) November 26, 2023

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops said a lack of NIL was the reason they couldn’t compete with the Georgia Bulldogs. He said in an article from Extra Points that anybody who was upset with the blowout loss should donate more money.

“I can promise you — Georgia, they bought some pretty good players,” Stoops said Monday in response to an upset fan on his weekly radio show. “You’re allowed to these days, and we could use some help. That’s what they look like, you know what I mean, when you have 85 of ’em. I encourage anybody that’s disgruntled to pony up some more.”

Another example of a coach who left college football is former Washington Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. When former Washington Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer went to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Grubb was expected to follow him. Instead, Grubb left for the same role with the Seattle Seahawks.

Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils struggled in his first years as a head coach

2023 was the first year that Kenny Dillingham spent as a head coach in his entire career, and he struggled with the Arizona State Sun Devils. Dillingham and the Sun Devils posted a 3-9 record with just two conference wins.

Before coming to the Arizona State Sun Devils, Dillingham spent time as the offensive coordinator/QBs coach for the Oregon Ducks, the Florida State Seminoles, the Auburn Tigers and the Memphis Tigers.

The Arizona State Sun Devils and Kenny Dillingham will have the ninth-best recruiting class in the Big 12 heading into 2024, according to On3. They’ve acquired one four-star recruit and they could have the ability to grow into a competitor in a Big 12 without the Texas Longhorns or the Oklahoma Sooners.

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