January 22, 2025 • 8 mins
Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham was one of the best stories this college football season. He joined The A-Team at the Bear Bryant Coaches Awards. He talks about what it's taken to make Arizona State into a winning program. He also shares an interesting story about how the team celebrated their Big 12 conference championship win this offseason.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pleasure to be joined by some of the best coaches
in the country. Next up Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham.
Just before the postseason began, Kenny, I'll try to throw
a total curveball at you for the opening question. I
had a chance to talk to one of the ESPN
sideline reporters she joined the show was Taylor McGregor. She
shared the field with you after the second and first
ending of the Arizona State BYU game. Can you go
(00:23):
back to that afternoon and kind of describe we I
think we all know what you were feeling as that
took place, because your fans are on the field and
the officials are telling you something you just cannot believe.
And then you went back and finished out the game.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah. I mean it was so nice.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
We got to do it twice, right, I Mean, it
was one of those deals where you win the football game,
a big football game where's a really, really good team,
a team I thought you had a viable, you know,
fight to be in the college football playoff, and your
fans rushed the field and then they say clear the
field with the fifteen thousand fans, Like, where.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Are they gonna go? We're gonna get flagged, like what
happens now?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
And we got guys over there, and like the kicking
tent for the last play, we got fans and the
kicking tent on their sideline, on our sideline, it's lined
so and then we take the field again, and then
the field is rushed. It was a surreal moment, really
hard to put into words unless you were out there.
Just absolute chaos is the best way to describe it.
It was chaos. How do you calm chaos down to
(01:24):
then create chaos again and play one football play in
between there? So it was definitely something I hope I
never experienced again.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Well.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Season one in the Big Twelve probably even as it ended,
was still described as chaos with four teams with the
same finishing record. At the end of the season, you're
into the Big Twelve title game to play and ultimately
beat Iowa State. You're on into the postseason. Earn the
off week Texas is your reward for the situation you
were in just kind of leading up to that. We
can get to the game itself, but as you put
(01:53):
together the kind of season you guys did to earn
your way, play your way into a very good playoff
situation kind of things you were you thinking about, you know,
what we've done with this program and what we hope
to do.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Yeah, I mean for us being able to play on
that stage was huge because it showed that you can
live in Tempe, Arizona, live in sixty five degrees and
be in paradise and also compete for championships. And for
so long people questioned, can you compete for championships? Do
people care about a issue football? Is there that support?
And when we're selling out games and we're rushing the field,
(02:25):
when we're competing with eight teams left and going to
double overtime with maybe the best football game of the year.
Hated the ending, but you know, one of the best
games of the year. It shows people that you can
go to Arizona State, you can go play in the NFL,
you can play until in front of crazy atmospheres, and
you can compete for championships in an unbelievable town.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And I think that's what I was thinking about from
a program perspective.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
From an individual perspective, it was just next game, like
what are we going to do today to be better?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
And that was our focus.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
It sounds really cliche as a staff, but we never
focused on anything but the moment we were in. We
never talked about winning a championship, We never talked about
making a bowl game. Those were never a goal. It
was never on a wall, it was never spoken about
a team meeting. Was just be the best version of
this team can be. Because if we would have put
limitations on ourselves to start the year, there's no way
(03:15):
we would have said be the four seed in the playoff.
We probably would have said, hey, let's make a bowl game,
and we would have never achieved what we achieved. So
don't sell yourself short. Be the best version of yourself
and repeat. That's what we were thinking about.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
We all saw it on television. Maybe some people went
to the game. What was it like to be coaching
Cam Scataboy in a game like that? The guy was
an absolute beast that day.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah, I mean he's unbelievable. His passion that he plays
with is I mean unmatched, And I think he was
a big reason our guys played with the passion they did.
Is we had a whole team filled with that passion.
And I think Cam not only was valuable for what
he did running people over, making people, mass throwing touchdowns,
doing it all. It was the passion that he played with,
(03:57):
and I think people fed off that.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Different players have different skill sets and you know, he's
good because of this and good because of that. It's
hard maybe to find a really uniqueness about any player,
but there are no players like him. You know, the
low center of gravity, he has two tree trunks for legs.
He gets into you when you're trying to tackle him.
I mean, would you describe it as maybe one of
the more unique players you're you're probably gonna come across,
(04:20):
just maybe the physical stature that he is.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Yeah, I mean his contact balance is unbelievable, and you
combine his contact balance with his intelligence. He's a very
smart football player and then his contact balance. I mean
when you watch him shoot hoops, he's an unbelievable who.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
He's a great hooper. So he's got great spatial If.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
He's a great hooper, then he probably tells you about
it all the time.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
We have a hoop in our team meeting room, so
I get to see it a lot. And so it's
one of those things where we I just you get
to see a guy with great spatial awareness and also
great contact balance, who's intelligent, and you can see all
of that show up when he plays. Whether it's you know,
the catch he made where he leans into the guy
and then accelerates to separate, that's spatial awareness. Not many
people have the spatial awareness to contact balance and like
(05:05):
you said, the center of gravity and then the intelligence
all in one, and he kind of has it.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Talking with Kenny Dilleham, head coach Arizona State, obviously, the
last game of the season was the game against Texas.
I think you were nice and saying it was one
of the best games of the year. The playoff produced
some incredible football, and I think it's obviously a really
good thing that we had, you know, twelve teams with
a chance to win it, and the kind of football
we got to see. I don't think there's really much
doubt that was the best game of the postseason for
(05:31):
what you guys did to get it to overtime, what
you guys did to seemingly be in position to win
the game in overtime. Obviously Texas made their plays as well.
What do you do with what happened this year, and
you're early in your head coaching career, what do you
do with what happened this year to try to make
sure everyone knows this is where we want to be
moving forward.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I mean for us, we got a cake for our
team meeting that said Big twelve Champions twenty four and
then we smashed it because nobody cares anymore.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
It's over. And if we.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Think that living off last year's success is going to
lead to this year, then we're absolutely delusional.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
So everything is about nobody cares but today.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
And if you get caught up in last year's success,
then you know, some team ranked sixteenth.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Is gonna beat our butt this year, just like we
did the people.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Because we weren't. We didn't focus on what people's perception
of us was. We stayed focused on ourselves. I think
that's the biggest challenge, that's the biggest mission, is how
do you convince eighteen to twenty three year olds who
just poured everything they had to do something absolutely incredible
to get emotionally that invested again. And that is our
challenge is can we dive into the water like we
(06:38):
did last year with the just commitment and the just
passion that we did this year, And if we can,
it's gonna be a good year.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
If we can't and baby won't.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
Two part question for you before we let you go
in that vein. You know, I think everybody would agree
the playoff system is fantastic.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Everybody loves it.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Whether or not you want to expand it would be
the first question. But how hard is that when you
feel like, Okay, I just put everything into this game.
Now I've got to get to the next one. Because
that's the current format.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Yeah, I mean I don't know about the expanding I
don't know all the details that go into it. I know,
do teams maybe not need a first round by? Probably not,
maybe just play so whatever teams that expands it to
maybe you just don't have a first round by and
you play it from there.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
You just get to play at home.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Because that was one thing that was a little bit upsetting,
you know, sad you watch all these games and these
unbelievable environments at home and because you got to buy,
Yeah that's great, but you don't get to experience that.
It was like, dang, our fans, our city, our community.
The amount of money that would have made for the
Tempe and the Phoenix businesses just having a game like that.
(07:43):
I think that's something that everybody should have a chance
to experience if you deserve it. And then our players,
you know, being able to celebrate with your fans on
a home field. And you know, maybe for us, I'm
biased because it's Tempire's only be sixty five degrees out.
It'd be a little bit different environment than some of
the other games, but that would have been one thing
that you know, I would have loved to experience. But
(08:04):
other than that, it was a great experience in in
the in the playoff, and we came up short, but
hopefully we'll be back.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Well, Kenny, we appreciate the time, enjoy your time here
in our city, and we look forward to seeing what
you have at Arizona State in the very near future.
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Thank you God, Devil's
Pleasure to be joined by some of the best coaches
in the country. Next up Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham.
Just before the postseason began, Kenny, I'll try to throw
a total curveball at you for the opening question. I
had a chance to talk to one of the ESPN
sideline reporters she joined the show was Taylor McGregor. She
shared the field with you after the second and first
ending of the Arizona State BYU game. Can you go
(00:23):
back to that afternoon and kind of describe we I
think we all know what you were feeling as that
took place, because your fans are on the field and
the officials are telling you something you just cannot believe.
And then you went back and finished out the game.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Yeah. I mean it was so nice.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
We got to do it twice, right, I Mean, it
was one of those deals where you win the football game,
a big football game where's a really, really good team,
a team I thought you had a viable, you know,
fight to be in the college football playoff, and your
fans rushed the field and then they say clear the
field with the fifteen thousand fans, Like, where.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Are they gonna go? We're gonna get flagged, like what
happens now?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
And we got guys over there, and like the kicking
tent for the last play, we got fans and the
kicking tent on their sideline, on our sideline, it's lined
so and then we take the field again, and then
the field is rushed. It was a surreal moment, really
hard to put into words unless you were out there.
Just absolute chaos is the best way to describe it.
It was chaos. How do you calm chaos down to
(01:24):
then create chaos again and play one football play in
between there? So it was definitely something I hope I
never experienced again.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
Well.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Season one in the Big Twelve probably even as it ended,
was still described as chaos with four teams with the
same finishing record. At the end of the season, you're
into the Big Twelve title game to play and ultimately
beat Iowa State. You're on into the postseason. Earn the
off week Texas is your reward for the situation you
were in just kind of leading up to that. We
can get to the game itself, but as you put
(01:53):
together the kind of season you guys did to earn
your way, play your way into a very good playoff
situation kind of things you were you thinking about, you know,
what we've done with this program and what we hope
to do.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Yeah, I mean for us being able to play on
that stage was huge because it showed that you can
live in Tempe, Arizona, live in sixty five degrees and
be in paradise and also compete for championships. And for
so long people questioned, can you compete for championships? Do
people care about a issue football? Is there that support?
And when we're selling out games and we're rushing the field,
(02:25):
when we're competing with eight teams left and going to
double overtime with maybe the best football game of the year.
Hated the ending, but you know, one of the best
games of the year. It shows people that you can
go to Arizona State, you can go play in the NFL,
you can play until in front of crazy atmospheres, and
you can compete for championships in an unbelievable town.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And I think that's what I was thinking about from
a program perspective.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
From an individual perspective, it was just next game, like
what are we going to do today to be better?
Speaker 2 (02:53):
And that was our focus.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
It sounds really cliche as a staff, but we never
focused on anything but the moment we were in. We
never talked about winning a championship, We never talked about
making a bowl game. Those were never a goal. It
was never on a wall, it was never spoken about
a team meeting. Was just be the best version of
this team can be. Because if we would have put
limitations on ourselves to start the year, there's no way
(03:15):
we would have said be the four seed in the playoff.
We probably would have said, hey, let's make a bowl game,
and we would have never achieved what we achieved. So
don't sell yourself short. Be the best version of yourself
and repeat. That's what we were thinking about.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
We all saw it on television. Maybe some people went
to the game. What was it like to be coaching
Cam Scataboy in a game like that? The guy was
an absolute beast that day.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Yeah, I mean he's unbelievable. His passion that he plays
with is I mean unmatched, And I think he was
a big reason our guys played with the passion they did.
Is we had a whole team filled with that passion.
And I think Cam not only was valuable for what
he did running people over, making people, mass throwing touchdowns,
doing it all. It was the passion that he played with,
(03:57):
and I think people fed off that.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Different players have different skill sets and you know, he's
good because of this and good because of that. It's
hard maybe to find a really uniqueness about any player,
but there are no players like him. You know, the
low center of gravity, he has two tree trunks for legs.
He gets into you when you're trying to tackle him.
I mean, would you describe it as maybe one of
the more unique players you're you're probably gonna come across,
(04:20):
just maybe the physical stature that he is.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Yeah, I mean his contact balance is unbelievable, and you
combine his contact balance with his intelligence. He's a very
smart football player and then his contact balance. I mean
when you watch him shoot hoops, he's an unbelievable who.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
He's a great hooper. So he's got great spatial If.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
He's a great hooper, then he probably tells you about
it all the time.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
We have a hoop in our team meeting room, so
I get to see it a lot. And so it's
one of those things where we I just you get
to see a guy with great spatial awareness and also
great contact balance, who's intelligent, and you can see all
of that show up when he plays. Whether it's you know,
the catch he made where he leans into the guy
and then accelerates to separate, that's spatial awareness. Not many
people have the spatial awareness to contact balance and like
(05:05):
you said, the center of gravity and then the intelligence
all in one, and he kind of has it.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Talking with Kenny Dilleham, head coach Arizona State, obviously, the
last game of the season was the game against Texas.
I think you were nice and saying it was one
of the best games of the year. The playoff produced
some incredible football, and I think it's obviously a really
good thing that we had, you know, twelve teams with
a chance to win it, and the kind of football
we got to see. I don't think there's really much
doubt that was the best game of the postseason for
(05:31):
what you guys did to get it to overtime, what
you guys did to seemingly be in position to win
the game in overtime. Obviously Texas made their plays as well.
What do you do with what happened this year, and
you're early in your head coaching career, what do you
do with what happened this year to try to make
sure everyone knows this is where we want to be
moving forward.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I mean for us, we got a cake for our
team meeting that said Big twelve Champions twenty four and
then we smashed it because nobody cares anymore.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
It's over. And if we.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Think that living off last year's success is going to
lead to this year, then we're absolutely delusional.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
So everything is about nobody cares but today.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
And if you get caught up in last year's success,
then you know, some team ranked sixteenth.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Is gonna beat our butt this year, just like we
did the people.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Because we weren't. We didn't focus on what people's perception
of us was. We stayed focused on ourselves. I think
that's the biggest challenge, that's the biggest mission, is how
do you convince eighteen to twenty three year olds who
just poured everything they had to do something absolutely incredible
to get emotionally that invested again. And that is our
challenge is can we dive into the water like we
(06:38):
did last year with the just commitment and the just
passion that we did this year, And if we can,
it's gonna be a good year.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
If we can't and baby won't.
Speaker 4 (06:47):
Two part question for you before we let you go
in that vein. You know, I think everybody would agree
the playoff system is fantastic.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Everybody loves it.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Whether or not you want to expand it would be
the first question. But how hard is that when you
feel like, Okay, I just put everything into this game.
Now I've got to get to the next one. Because
that's the current format.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Yeah, I mean I don't know about the expanding I
don't know all the details that go into it. I know,
do teams maybe not need a first round by? Probably not,
maybe just play so whatever teams that expands it to
maybe you just don't have a first round by and
you play it from there.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
You just get to play at home.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Because that was one thing that was a little bit upsetting,
you know, sad you watch all these games and these
unbelievable environments at home and because you got to buy,
Yeah that's great, but you don't get to experience that.
It was like, dang, our fans, our city, our community.
The amount of money that would have made for the
Tempe and the Phoenix businesses just having a game like that.
(07:43):
I think that's something that everybody should have a chance
to experience if you deserve it. And then our players,
you know, being able to celebrate with your fans on
a home field. And you know, maybe for us, I'm
biased because it's Tempire's only be sixty five degrees out.
It'd be a little bit different environment than some of
the other games, but that would have been one thing
that you know, I would have loved to experience. But
(08:04):
other than that, it was a great experience in in
the in the playoff, and we came up short, but
hopefully we'll be back.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Well, Kenny, we appreciate the time, enjoy your time here
in our city, and we look forward to seeing what
you have at Arizona State in the very near future.
Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Thank you God, Devil's
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