ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham talks in-state recruiting
The Arizona native talked about the barriers and efforts being made to keep the state’s best football players in the state and playing for ASU.
Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham prioritizes player retention over recruiting rankings.Dillingham believes focusing on current players’ well-being is key to success in the transfer portal era.
Coaching at Arizona State, Kenny Dillingham has always been passionate and direct when he speaks. From genuinely getting so choked up at his initial news conference that he had trouble speaking, to once calling the kicking game ‘atrocious,’ that passion comes in many forms.
Headlines typically follow when Dillingham talks, and the first day of the Big 12 football media days at The Star in Frisco, Texas, was no different. This time, it was the topic of recruiting in the era of the transfer portal.
“Our program is built on retention, not acquisition,” Dillingham said at a news conference at the Big 12 media days. “I don’t wanna win recruiting rankings, I don’t wanna win social media. I don’t want to be the No. 1 team in recruiting. I want to be No. 1 in retention.”
“I want our players to know that if you come to our school, we are going to take care of you. That’s it. If you come here, I’m going to take care of you.”
Later on, Dillingham doubled down on retention when speaking to ESPN.
“To me, recruiting is dead. Retention is alive,” Dillingham said to ESPN’s Pete Thamel at Big 12 media days. “It’s not about recruiting. I don’t care if we’re ranked dead last in recruiting my entire career here. 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.”
With schools allowed to spend up to $20.5 million a year…
Source link : https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/college/asu/2025/07/10/asu-football-recruits-transfer-portal-big-12/84526478007/
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Publish date : 2025-07-10 12:02:00
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