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Football coach Kenny Dillingham admits when he first took the job at Arizona State recruiting wasn’t a lot of fun.
In a competitive industry, the only things he had to sell were good weather and opportunity. Opponents had plenty of shade to throw at the program when recruiting the same players.
Dillingham is getting the laugh though. Now, he doesn’t have room for all of the players that want to play for him. That’s what happens when you go 11-3 and win a Big 12 title after being expected to be the bottom feeder.
Not only did Dillingham’s squad win the Big 12 title in its first year in the conference, it was a fourth-down stop away from beating Texas in the Peach Bowl — which would have propelled it into the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Yes, the tables have turned.
Celebrate the Sun Devils’ season with out collector’s edition book, “Forks Up! How Arizona State Captured the Big 12 Title in Year One”
“There is an excitement,” Dillingham said. “When I walk into a school, or I call a kid, there’s an excitement about ASU. I called a kid the other day and we offered him and he goes, `I’ve been waiting on this one.’ I’ve watched you guys all year.’ That level of excitement is needed in order to take the next step, to continue to build this thing to where we’re not just a flash in the pan.”
The obstacles Dillingham faced from the start were many. A program under the cloud of an investigation into recruiting irregularities was the biggest factor because it resulted in limited recruiting time, scholarship reductions, and a self-imposed bowl ban.
This is the first year Dillingham hasn’t had to deal with such things.
“People that were in on us, really liked us when we were bad, and we’re not winning games and people are telling them, `Are you really going to go there?` They’d say, `No, but I like their staff. They’re cool…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-arizona-state-football-coach-224838210.html
Author : AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Publish date : 2025-02-07 22:48:00
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