Kenny Dillingham addressed players about his coaching future

Nine Power Four programs are searching for head coaches before Week 11. 

Amid a giant and bloating coaching search, Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham has been a hot name in the national media as a potential hire for programs like LSU and Florida.

Per Chris Karpman of 247 Sports, Dillingham addressed his players about his coaching future before ASU defeated Iowa State 24-19 on Saturday. 

Dillingham told his players that he intends to coach the Sun Devils in 2026.

“Dillingham informed members of his team ahead of its win over Iowa State last Saturday that he planned to return for his fourth season as Arizona State’s coach in 2026, three people apprised of his comments told Sun Devil Source,” Karpman wrote.

Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham talked to players on Saturday 

Dillingham didn’t address the whole team at once. He did so in a more intimate fashion, talking to players in position meeting rooms before the game.

“(Dillingham) just walked in, said he wasn’t going anywhere next year, and that it’s going to be business as usual,” said he parent of one ASU defensive player, via 247 Sports. “Then he left. He also did that with other (positions on the team) because those players heard the same thing and they talked about it after.”

Dillingham, 35, is 20-15 overall and 13-11 in conference play during his three seasons at ASU. He led the program to the College Football Playoff quarterfinal in 2024.

The Sun Devils are 6-3 and are hosting West Virginia on Nov. 15.

Dillingham was a great hire by ASU, and the Big 12 program needs to do what it can to keep him around. The Sun Devils aren’t likely to return to the CFP this season, but the young team showed promise earlier in the year when they upset then-No. 7 Texas Tech on Oct. 18.