Arizona State announces Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham as head coach
Oregon is officially in search of its next offensive coordinator.
Kenny Dillingham, who was in his first year as Oregon’s OC and quarterbacks coach, has officially been announced as the next head coach at Arizona State, the university announced on Sunday.
At 32 years old, Dillingham becomes the youngest Power Five head coach in the nation.
“We are proud to announce Kenny Dillingham as our new head football coach,” Arizona State vice president of university athletics Ray Anderson said in a statement. “He brings the energy, knowledge and appreciation of our state and university that is valued by all of us. His knowledge of the current college football landscape, learned by coaching across the nation, is needed and wanted at ASU.”
Dillingham has been linked with the ASU job for much of this season after former head coach Herm Edwards was fired in early September.
On Saturday, less than an hour after Oregon’s 38-34 loss at Oregon State, Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated reported that a deal was being finalized between Dillingham and ASU.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be named the head coach at Arizona State University,” Dillingham said in the release announcing his hire. “This is a special place to myself and my wife who is also a graduate. I truly believe the team we will build here is one that the state of Arizona and all Sun Devils can rally behind and be proud of as it will take everyone in the valley to help this program achieve the level of success it is due. I am excited to get to work and promise no one will work harder than the staff we will put together.”
A semifinalist for the Broyles Award, Dillingham has helped Oregon’s offense become one of the most productive in the nation this season.
The Ducks ranked fourth in the nation at 40.2 points per game and third in total offense at 511.2 yards per game. Quarterback Bo Nix enjoyed a career year under Dillingham and emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the country.
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Oregon currently has a 2023 recruiting class that is the 12th-best in the nation, according to the On3 Consensus, and loaded with offensive talent.
The Ducks’ top commit, 5-star quarterback Dante Moore, has formed a strong relationship with Dillingham.
It is unknown at this point if Dillingham will continue coaching through Oregon’s bowl game.
With Dillingham’s departure, the Ducks are now searching for their third offensive coordinator in as many years and fourth in the past six years.
Joe Moorhead was at the helm of Oregon’s offense from 2020-2021 before leaving to become the head coach at Akron. His predecessor, Marcus Arroyo, left in 2019 to become the head coach at UNLV.
