Is Kenny Dillingham Underrated in Head Coach Rankings?

One of the best decisions that has ever been made at Arizona State is the hiring of Kenny Dillingham as head coach of the football program.

Although the 35 year old has only posted a 14-11 record across two seasons, he has the program at a point that few envisioned was possible in 2022.

The rapid turnaround has been thanks to a myriad of factors - from Dillingham's ability to evaluate talent, to his in-game coaching prowess at a young age, to his ability to hire an all-around competent coaching staff.

These qualities coupled with his overall passion for the job have catapulted the Arizona State alum to the forefront of national conversations, including being among the best coaches in the nation.

Dane Miller of SuperWestSports isn'y nearly as convinced, as Dillingham comes in at number five in his Big 12 head coach rankings - they do value longevity heavily for added context.

"In just his second year as a head coach, Kenny Dillingham led Arizona State to the Playoff and finished the year with 11 wins. The historic season has set the groundwork for what could be a powerhouse in the Big 12. Dillingham has a clear vision for what ASU can be and has successfully implemented it so far. Now, the question becomes: can he do it again?"

Dillingham comes in below Iowa State's Matt Campbell, West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez, Kyle Whittingham of Utah, and Mike Gundy of Oklahoma State.

While the argument built around Dillingham not doing it long enough is valid in a vacuum, he has done it better compared to Rodriguez, Gundy, and Whittingham as of late at the very least.

Taking over an Arizona State program that was in deep trouble due to recruiting violations and building a team that was capable of winning any conference in the midst of that is something that simply cannot be overlooked.

While Gundy has yet to fully adapt to the transfer portal era, Whittinham has had struggles finding a stable quarterback, and Rodriguez is just making a return to power league coaching - Dillingham has done all of the above for at least one season of his brief tenure.

Read more on QB Sam Leavitt praising Dillingham here, and take a look at All-Big 12 preseason team projections through the lens of Sun Devil players here.

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