Kenny Dillingham Discusses Coaching Staff Hires

Kenny Dillingham can already reasonably be categorized as one of the best coaches in college football despite being just 35 years old.

The reigning Big 12 Coach of the Year has built quite the career around offensive wizardry, but perhaps the most vital piece of what has been built in Tempe to this point is Dillingham's mindset, personality, and approach to culture building that has seeped into every level of the program.

Dillingham joined college football personality Adam Breneman in recent days to chat - among the topics discussed was a question from Breneman that was based in asking what the third year Sun Devil head coach looks for in hiring assistant coaches.

"That's a great question. I think it depends on what you're looking for. I would say honesty and real. Like I want to know who I'm hiring. I don't want to know, if you're a dude, like I'm in sweats, uggs, I want different personalities. So, I want to know who you are. I don't want to know the version of you that puts on the suit and shows up like some coaches want - 'oh he didn't show up in a suit, so that's not my guy.'"

"In orer to build the best staff, you have to truly understand the personalities that you're adding, not the fake interview personalities. So I would say for me, what do I look at? Can I trust you? Are you genuine? And are you good with people?"

The approach has appeared to pay off for Dillingham, as his retention rate within the coaching staff is unmatched - every single coordinator and position coach is returning from 2024.

Among those is offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo - who likely passed up head coaching opportunities to stay in Tempe for another year.

Dillingham's mindset has ultimately worked out on a large scale, as players are opting to stay in Tempe over moving elsewhere in large part due to each player's individual belief that something truly special is being built.

Read more on Leavitt being named the preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year here, as well as Leavitt, Tyson, Fite, Alford, and Ben Coleman being named to preseason All-Big 12 honors prior to the appearance at conference Media Days here.

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