Will Kenny Dillingham Become Best Coach in College Football?

Arizona State could be one of the epicenters of the 2025 college football season after finishing the previous year with 11 victories and a Big 12 championship.

The figurehead in all of the success is 35 year old head coach Kenny Dillingham - who returned to Tempe nearly a decade after departing it to begin his journey that lead to being an offensive coordinator at multiple prominent schools.

He returned in November 2022 and has managed a 14-12 record since taking over the role - that seems modest at the surface, but the ability to muster a double-digit win season when just beginning to exit NCAA sanctions is wildly impressive.

The offensive wizard could already be the best coach in a Big 12 that is full of proven elite leaders of programs - but what is his true ceiling from a national perspective?

Dillingham frequently ranks inside the top 20 of the coaching ranks according to the vast majority of publications - with some even labeling him among the top 10 already.

What's done over the next three years is likely crucial to what his true ceiling is as an elite coach nationally - while the infrastructure that is in place for Arizona State appears to be sustainable, games still must be played and recruiting battles still must be won.

Dillingham does have a strong start on those fronts - as the Sun Devils boast the top recruiting class in the Big 12 for the 2026 cycle at the moment - including four star QB Jake Fette, who just competed at the 'elite 11' camp for top-tier quarterback prospects at the high school level.

If Dillingham can continue to build a consistent double-digit win team over time, the ceiling as a coach could be nearly unlimited.

While the likes of Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, and others will be difficult to catch, the youngest head coach at the FBS level absolutely has the potential to reach that level.

Read more about how Arizona State can be the major recruiting power in the Big 12 moving forward here, and how Walter Clayton can be the x-factor of the Arizona State defense in the 2025 season from our own Tanner Cappellini here.

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