Kenny Dillingham calls out kicking game, announces tryouts after struggles vs Cincinnati

After struggles in the kicking game against Cincinnati, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham is searching high and low for a replacement. The Sun Devils will have open tryouts on Monday, he said in his postgame press conference.

Arizona State kicker Ian Hershey missed both field goal attempts during Saturday’s game – one from 41 yards and another from 48 yards. It’s been a rough year for the Sun Devils’ kicking game, which entered Week 8 ranked 107th in the nation with a 63.6% percentage.

Those struggles are why Dillingham is issuing a call to Arizona State students to come try out. He made it clear he wasn’t joking and tryouts will be Monday.

Kenny Dillingham says Arizona State will be holding kicker tryouts Monday:

"Our kicking game is atrocious. If you can kick and you're at Arizona State, email me. We're going to have kicking tryouts on Monday … I'm dead serious." 💀

(via @LaCertosaSports)… pic.twitter.com/eNposAWqAU

— On3 (@On3sports) October 19, 2024

“You can be aggressive, but just because you convert, doesn’t guarantee you make it one possession,” Dillingham said. “You hope you can make a kick, one of those. But our kicking game’s atrocious. So if you can kick and you’re at Arizona State, email me. We’re gonna have kicking tryouts on Monday. Bring it on, kicking tryouts Monday. Let’s go. … I’m dead serious.

“We’re gonna put it out on our social. We’re gonna have a kicking tryout on Monday. We’ve got to find somebody who can make a field goal.”

Arizona State dropped to 5-2 on the season with a 24-14 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday. Both missed field goals came late in the second half as the Sun Devils tried to get back within one score. Those situations are why Kenny Dillingham said it gets frustrating when there are questions at the kicker position, and it’s why he’s now opening it up to tryouts.

“It makes it even harder late in games, when it’s clearly a kick scenario,” Dillingham said. “That’s when it gets really hard because you’re like, it’s clearly a kick. You definitely want to take points here, there’s no doubt in your mind. He hadn’t had a kick this game. He was kicking good pregame, so I felt good about it. But it is what it is.

“We’ve got to do a better job getting him in a better mental state to kick, but at the same token, I’ve got to do a job and I’ve got to get guys on the field that can perform in those situations, as well. We’ll go to work and get better. We’ll have a tryout and see if somebody’s good enough. If somebody’s not, then you know what? Status quo, keep going to work. If somebody is, then we’ll add him to the team and rock and roll from there.”