2024 was a Cinderella season for Arizona State football, but now the Sun Devils have made the transition from the hunters to the hunted. Kenny Dillingham and company are trying to build a powerhouse in Tempe, and last season’s run to a Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Peach Bowl was a great start.
However, sustaining success year after year in college football is getting harder and harder. Tons of players enter the transfer portal every offseason, making it very difficult to keep the same roster from one year to the next.
At Big 12 Media days on Tuesday, Dillingham didn’t hold back about the state of recruiting in college football, via ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“To me, recruiting is dead,” Dillingham said. “Retention is alive.
“It’s not about recruiting. I don’t care if we’re ranked dead last in recruiting my entire career here. Who knows… it’d be like if the draft was for one year, then half of your draft picks leave. So it’s all about retention now. That’s my entire thing.”
Dillingham’s model is working so far for Arizona State, at least on paper. The team’s two biggest stars, quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, both are coming back for the 2025 season despite undoubtedly having offers to go elsewhere.
As long as Leavitt and Tyson are healthy and clicking on all cylinders, the Sun Devils should be contending for the Big 12 title once again in 2025. Dillingham has established Arizona State as a destination that is attractive to recruits, so this will be a talented squad one again.
Dillingham has overseen an incredible turnaround with the Sun Devils during his two seasons as the head coach there, taking them from a 3-9 record in 2023 to an incredible 11-3 mark in 2024. His ability to revive this Arizona State football program, which was reeling from the…
Source link : https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-football/arizona-state-football-news-kenny-dillingham-declaration-recruiting
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Publish date : 2025-07-09 00:04:00
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