ASU’s Kenny Dillingham rumored as candidate for LSU and Penn State openings

Dillingham’s resume as Arizona State’s head coach is short but sharp. His arrival would signal a move toward innovation, speed, and recruiting firepower. Dillingham has all the traits that the big college football programs believe they need. With Dillingham’s recent success at ASU, including their Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff run, all eyes have been on what Dillingham will do with his coaching future.

Kenny Dillingham speaks on his future with Arizona State:

While many coaching searches hinge on past titles, Dillingham offers momentum and pace of change. ASU’s roster timeline moved much faster than typical rebuilds, which suggests that LSU wouldn’t be buying past glory, but rather future potential. When asked about the rumors from The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s article and other college football programs calling for his services, Dillingham responded, “I’m trying to win as many games as I can here, that is my number one focus. (Credit: Jacob Brooks | Sun Devil Source)

This story isn’t just about a job opening; it underscores a larger trend of power-conference programs valuing coaches who can rapidly elevate status in an era of NIL, portals, and fan impatience. Fans and administrators both crave tangible rise today, not just promises for tomorrow. Locally, Arizona State fans fear Dillingham’s departure, with LSU and Penn State fans wondering who will shepherd their next chapter. Nationally, the narrative resonates with every program that might now settle for “trajectories” over “track record”.

It also raises the question for ASU fans of what happens if the Dillingham era ends sooner than expected. Arizona State must brace for a departure and map succession plans now. For bigger programs, the cost of waiting on proven coaches might be missing out on those on the rise.