Arizona State head football coach Kenny Dillingham speaks to the media during a news conference at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 20, 2025. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NFL Legend Shows Support for Kenny Dillingham

Originally posted on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI
By Kevin Hicks | Last updated Oct 23, 2025 8:00 AM ET

TEMPE -- Kenny Dillingham has built up quite the reputation as head coach of the Arizona State football program over the last 35 months.

Dillingham took over at his alma matter in November 2022 - which was a situation that yielded much unclarity due to being in the middle of an NCAA investigation, while also moving forward from the failed experiment that was Herm Edwards.

The 35-year old took Arizona State from six combined wins in 2022 and 2023 to 11 total wins in his second season as head man in 2024 - also taking the program to the College Football Playoff for the first time.

Dillingham has gained much respect and recognition from giants of the game in recent months - which has only aided in developing the Arizona State brand - the recent praise was no different.

NFL legend Kurt Warner took to X on Tuesday night to praise Dillingham for his approach to the game and overall raw honestly.

What Warner Had to Say

"I have known Kenny for a while, talked O with him a number of times & he’s really smart in that area… BUT this is what makes him a great coach: HE GETS IT!!!

He knows the game is not played perfect and GREAT players (and coaches) can have bad plays or even, on certain nights (God Forbid), have a bad GAME!!

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

But life and sport is about responding… responding on 2nd play after a bad 1st one… responding in the 2nd half after a bad 1st one… responding in 2nd week after a bad 1st one…

These are the guys that I would love to play for, bc he GETS that life and sport is a PROCESS & that his job as a coach is to help his guys in that process so on the 2nd part of the above they are better than the 1st!!

Hats off to my man… #ForksUp"

One of the most consistently praised aspects of Dillingham as a coach is that he is unmistakably honest - willing to own up to mistakes, willing to adapt to changing circumstances, while also being a player-first coach through and through.

He never changes who he is and is as level-headed as a coach in the college football world can be.

Dillingham is truly one-of-a-kind coach that demands the best effort possible from his players - not a perfect effort like so many other coaches do. This has resulted in the program securing 16 wins and counting since the start of last season.

Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on three major takeaways from the win over Texas Tech here.

This article first appeared on Arizona State Sun Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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