Latest news with #KennyDillingham
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arizona State football undervalued in ESPN metric, ESPN writer says: 'Fire and motivation'
ESPN has released its Football Power Index (FPI) ratings and projections for the 2025 college football season and you have to scroll down a bit to find the Arizona State Sun Devils football team, the defending Big 12 champions. The Sun Devils are the second Big 12 team in the rankings, coming in at No. 24 in the nation. Kansas State is the lone Big 12 team above them, at No. 21. Advertisement The FPI gives Kenny Dillingham's team a 13% chance to win the Big 12 and a 16.1% chance to return to the College Football Playoff in the upcoming season. Kansas State leads the conference at 19.9% to win the Big 12 and 22.2% to make the playoff. Big 12 football win total odds: Arizona | Arizona State | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Colorado | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma State | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | Utah | West Virginia | Big 12 rankings Arizona State football 'undervalued' in ESPN ranking? Is ASU football being undervalued in ESPN's predictive metric? Advertisement Plenty of Arizona State, Big 12 and college football fans would probably answer that question in the affirmative. One ESPN writer does, too. Paolo Uggetti wrote that "it would not shock me to see them (Arizona State) make another playoff run." He wrote of ASU's FPI ranking: "Even though Kenny Dillingham said at Big 12 spring meetings recently that being considered one of the conference's favorites after being picked to finish last in 2024 is 'less fun,' I still think FPI is slightly undervaluing the Sun Devils at No. 24. Sure, they lost star running back Cam Skattebo to the NFL draft, but they also return a quarterback in Sam Leavitt (2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns last year) who could be a Heisman contender, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns) and defensive back Xavion Alford, among several other starters and stalwarts of last year's Cinderella season. Dillingham won't flinch at now being considered a favorite to win the conference and I imagine he'll have ASU with plenty of fire and motivation come kickoff. It would not shock me to see them make another playoff run." Big 12 football game picks: Arizona | Arizona State | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Colorado | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma State | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | Utah | West Virginia | Projected Big 12 standings, records Is Arizona State football undervalued in ESPN's preseason predictive metric? Some people certainly think so, including an ESPN writer. 'Baked-in bias' against Arizona State, Big 12? Heartland College Sports' Bryan Clinton took it a step further, slamming ESPN's FPI for "baked-in bias" regarding Arizona State, and the Big 12 as a whole. Advertisement Part of his argument: "ESPN's FPI is designed to be a predictive tool, balancing returning production, coaching continuity, schedule strength, and performance data. But the model's outputs this year raise serious questions about baked-in bias. Arizona State, the reigning Big 12 champion, is given just a 16.1% chance to make the College Football Playoff. Kansas State — ranked highest among Big 12 teams — has a 22.2% playoff probability, less than Alabama, Georgia, and Texas, all of whom have tougher paths and more roster turnover." Good thing Arizona State gets a chance to prove itself again on the field. The Sun Devils open their much-anticipated 2025 season on Aug. 30 at home against Northern Arizona. College football conference championship odds: Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | National championship odds: Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | National title odds overall Advertisement Reach Jeremy Cluff at Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff. Support local journalism: Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State football ranking reaction: 'Baked-in' bias vs Big 12?
USA Today
09-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham earned record bonus by passing Jim Harbaugh
Arizona State football coach Kenny Dillingham earned record bonus by passing Jim Harbaugh Show Caption Hide Caption ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham discusses significance of Pat's Run ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham discusses how important Pat's Run is to the ASU community on April 12, 2025. The bonuses include $2.604 million for on-field performance and at least $502,500 for academic achievements. Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham has earned more bonus money in a single school year than any football coach at a public school. Dillingham will collect at least $3.056 million in on-field and academic performance-related bonuses for the 2024-25 school year, which surpasses the $3 million that Michigan paid John Harbaugh for winning the national championship in 2023-24, according to a database of public college coaches' contracts maintained by USA TODAY Sports. Dillingham received $2.604 million in football-related bonuses after the Sun Devils finished the season with an 11-3 record, won the Big 12 Conference and earned the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff. Arizona State lost its quarterfinal game against Texas in the Peach Bowl finished No. 7 in the final US LBM Top 25 Coaches Poll. Dillingham will also receive at least $502,500 in academic-related bonuses for the team's Academic Progress Rate, Graduation Success Rate, Grade Point Average and enrolling three new scholarship student athletes in the Barrett Honors College. This extra half-million dollars pushes Dillingham past Harbaugh and into first place on the list for most bonus money in a single school year since 2019, when USA TODAY Sports began keeping track of these payments. Most college coaches' contracts, acquired by USA TODAY Sports through public records requests, do not include such lucrative bonus incentives for academic performance. Indiana's Curt Cignetti ($1.5 million) and Iowa State's Matt Campbell ($1.35 million) earned the second- and third-largest bonuses among college football coaches during the 2024-25 school year, and neither has academic performance-related incentives in their contracts on file with USA TODAY Sports. Dillingham gave $300,000 of his bonus to his staff, the school confirmed. The coach earned a $200,000 bonus for winning a ninth regular-season game, which he distributed among more than 20 staff members around Thanksgiving, as has been reported, and later distributed another $100,000, which has not been previously reported. Dillingham's compensation was among the lowest in Big 12 Conference Dillingham's annual compensation in 2024 was $3.95 million, which ranked 11th out of 12 football coaches at public schools in the Big 12 Conference and served as the basis for many of his on-field bonuses. (Baylor and TCU are private schools, are not subject to open-records laws and do not release their coaches' contracts.) Dillingham's annual compensation increased to $5.8 million in 2025, after his contract was renegotiated and approved by the Arizona Board of Regents. Dillingham collects more than $2.6 million in football bonuses Dillingham received $2.604 million in bonuses for on-field performance. ∎ $200,000 for the ninth regular-season win. ∎ $300,000 for the 10th regular-season win. ∎ $395,000 for appearing in the conference championship game. (10% of annual salary.) ∎ $395,000 for winning the conference championship game. (10% of annual salary.) ∎ $1,185,000 for an appearance in the College Football Playoff. (30% of annual salary.) ∎ $79,000 for the top-10 final ranking. (2% of annual salary.) ∎ $50,000 for being named Big 12 Coach of the Year. Dillingham to receive more than $500,000 in academic bonuses Dillingham will receive at least $502,500 for his student-athletes' academic performance. ∎ $290,000 for the football program's multi-year APR score of 973 out of 1,000 that was released this spring. (5% of his updated 2025 compensation of $5.8 million, the school confirmed, for a multi-year APR score of at least 969. This bonus would have doubled for a multi-year APR score over 974.) APR measures the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term. ∎ $100,000 for a team GSR above 86%. (The GSR was 87%.) GSR reflects the NCAA's calculation of the percentage of student-athletes on a team who graduate within six years of entering college. ∎ $62,500 for team GPA equal to or greater than 2.80. (This is the amount Dillingham received during the 2023-24 school year, when the team GPA was 2.84. The 2024-25 team GPA is calculated after summer school. This annual bonus jumps to $100,000 for a 2.90 GPA and to $150,000 for a 3.0 GPA.) ∎ $50,000 for having between three and six new scholarship student athletes enroll in the Barrett Honors College. The Arizona State football team doubled the number of football scholarship student-athletes enrolled, adding three newcomers to increase the total to six. The group is comprised of sophomore defensive back Keith Abney II, sophomore running back Kyson Brown, freshman punter Kanyon Floyd, freshman linebacker Martell Hughes, freshman linebacker Isaiah Iosefa and freshman quarterback Cameron Dyer. How Kenny Dillingham edged Harbaugh's record bonus Harbaugh received $3 million in bonuses for the 2023-24 school year, when Michigan won the national championship, the university confirmed. Harbaugh was eligible to receive up to another $150,000 for an APR bonus, which would have kept him atop the all-time single-year bonus list, but the amount and whether it was paid were at the school's discretion, according to his contract. Harbaugh was not paid the APR bonus for that season, Michigan confirmed, because the payment is made in the spring and he had already resigned to become head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. The non-payment ensures Dillingham will receive the most bonus money in a single school year.
New York Times
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Arizona State's Sam Leavitt is exactly where he thought he'd be — everyone else is just catching up
TEMPE, Ariz. — Sam Leavitt recently appeared on 'The Matt Barrie Show,' the third national interview the Arizona State quarterback had done that day. He wore a maroon polo, the top button unfastened. His sandy blonde hair was stylishly messy. Throughout a 20-minute interview, ESPN's Barrie, a popular voice in the college football media-verse and fellow Arizona State product, asked Leavitt about last season's improbable College Football Playoff run and how coach Kenny Dillingham has changed the program. He also innocently described Leavitt as a rising star and a sleeper Heisman Trophy candidate. Advertisement It's a good bet Leavitt noticed. Athletes using slights, real or imagined, storing them for motivation, is nothing new. Leavitt, however, takes this to another level. High school teammate Mark Hamper says the chip on his friend's shoulder is as big as the Eiffel Tower, but it's useful, 'and it's going to take him to some pretty big places.' This fall, with Arizona State projected to contend in the Big 12, the grudge and determination could help make Leavitt a household name. It's how Leavitt has always seen himself, following older brother Dallin Leavitt to the NFL, possibly as a first-round draft pick. The redshirt-sophomore just had to wait for everyone else to catch up. To see what he sees. 'People say I have a shot to win (the Heisman), but I'm not the No. 1 candidate,' Leavitt, 20, had said an hour or so before the Barrie interview, explaining motivation for his second Arizona State season. 'So you really think these other players are going to play better than me this year?' As a reminder, the quarterback keeps a large whiteboard in his bedroom. It's the first thing he sees every morning and the last he sees before bed. The theme — 'How great do you want to be?' — hasn't changed, but Leavitt recently added another element. On the left side, in purple marker, are 10 names, his national quarterback competition. Arch Manning … Cade Klubnik … DJ Lagway … This probably doesn't surprise those who follow Arizona State closely. Leavitt made it clear last year after transferring from Michigan State that the chip on his shoulder wasn't just motivation, but an actual character in his journey. In November, Leavitt said he had looked forward to playing against Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson, who had been ranked higher than Leavitt during the 2023 recruiting cycle; Johnson ninth, Leavitt 18th, per 247 Sports. (Leavitt threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns in a 24-14 Arizona State win.) More memorably, Leavitt told reporters before Arizona State's CFP matchup against Texas and Quinn Ewers that he looked forward to proving he was the better quarterback, an approach he took every game. Given the contest's magnitude — and the fact that Ewers had won 20 games and led the Longhorns to two CFP appearances over two seasons — his comments made headlines. Dallin Leavitt said his brother called and told him he was shocked that everyone else was shocked. 'Like, how do you not think that I'm better than Quinn Ewers?' Dallin recalled Leavitt saying that afternoon. (Leavitt threw for 222 yards but was picked off on the final play of a 39-31 double-overtime loss.) Advertisement Jon Eagle, Leavitt's coach at West Linn High in Oregon, did not hear the exact Ewers exchange, but he got the gist. His reaction: '100 percent Sam.' In 40 years of coaching, Eagle had seldom come across a player with more confidence. And as often is the case, disrespect turns into fuel. Asked about the chip's origins, Leavitt started with a teammate in eighth grade who told him he wasn't the best player on the team. Later, he noticed people's reactions when he said he planned to follow his older brother's path to the NFL. (A 5-foot-10 safety who lacked great speed, Dallin Leavitt wasn't drafted out of Utah State but managed to play six NFL seasons, four with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, two with the Green Bay Packers.) Every year, it was something new. You're not going to play Div. I. You're not going to be a blue-chip prospect. You'll never win a state championship. At West Linn, Leavitt was the No. 2 prospect in Oregon, but his recruitment was slow to pop. Eagle said coaches from the former Pac-12 came to watch Leavitt, but whenever he pressed for reaction, they always provided a lukewarm response. Yeah, we're not sure. He's on our list. We'll see. Eagle didn't understand. Not only did he see the arm talent in Leavitt, he saw a quarterback who processed information quickly. One who could make a mistake on one play and forget it the next. One who led the Lions to a state championship his senior season. 'There's two types of 'A' students,' Eagle said. 'There's the guy who's in the front row with his hand in the air. That's Sam. Then there's a guy in the back row that's scratching his chin, thinking about it. They're both 'A' students, but the guy up front is going to be your quarterback.' Part of this is how Leavitt was raised. His father, Jared, played outside linebacker at BYU, where he was honored as the program's best conditioned and most courageous athlete. Dallin said early football conversations around the house didn't focus on touchdowns but on physicality, as in, 'Are you going to dominate the person across from you?' Dallin's NFL journey showed Leavitt what was possible, but Dallin also credits their mother. The Leavitts grew up watching Tania Leavitt compete in triathlons. If she hiked a mountain with friends, she wanted to be first to the top. Asked about this, Tania said Leavitt comes from a large family, and as the youngest of four, he always had support. It also helped that Leavitt was good at most everything he tried. In addition to football, Leavitt also played on West Linn's nationally ranked basketball team. Then-coach Robert Key said Leavitt could shoot the rock, 'but defensively, he was a dude,' and had he so desired, he probably could have played basketball in college. Advertisement 'Yeah, I'd say pretty much everything he does,' Olivia Price said of her brother's activities. 'He was always really good at school. He, like growing up, would be singing around the house and he had a good voice — not a great voice, but a good voice. He can dance. He's just good at everything he does, and as an older sibling, it's really annoying.' But football was always the priority. Trainer Ryan Paul, who has worked with Leavitt and his brother for years, recalls Leavitt telling him as a high school sophomore that he one day would play in the NFL. (Paul's reaction: 'Well, that's cool, kid. We'll see how it goes.') Key recalls a similar exchange before basketball season. He asked Leavitt about his end result, and Leavitt responded: 'I want to play on Sundays.' 'It's funny,' Tania Leavitt said, 'because I know it comes across as super cocky, but it's kind of this, not a persona, but if you don't feel like you're the best, why go do it?' The difference between confidence and cockiness can be tricky — the former a springboard, the latter a banana peel. Dillingham says the difference is work ethic, and this is an area in which Leavitt excels, always trying to outwork himself from the previous year. Before Arizona State home games, Leavitt meditates in the facility's ice-tub room, where it's easy to get lost in the sound of rushing water. Leavitt used to try and force his thoughts into a certain mindset, but as time passed, he learned to embrace his mood. If he was mad, he let himself be mad. If he was sad, he let himself be sad. 'You're only going to play as comfortable as you feel,' he said. Away from campus, Leavitt works with a sports chiropractor, learning how to stay calm under stress. At home, he meditates in a Solodome chair, which helps promote well-being through sound therapy. Leavitt also journals, not every day, but when he needs to improve at something or make an important decision. Writing it down brings accountability. 'Sam does everything he can do to create an advantage, so if there's anything that somebody's told him that can help him win, he's going to look into it and try to do it,' Dillingham said. 'I think that's what defines Sam. He's going to open every door to try and be the best.' Advertisement In Week 6 last season, in the first half against No. 16 Utah, Leavitt faked a handoff and ran left. After a short gain, Utah linebacker Lander Barton slammed into the quarterback's side, fracturing a rib. Leavitt said it might have been the worst pain he'd ever felt, but it also might have been a blessing. He missed Arizona State's next game, a 24-14 loss at Cincinnati, but returned after the Sun Devils' off week to face Oklahoma State. And he did so with a different mindset. To protect his body, Leavitt changed his game. He thought about protections more. If he escaped pressure, he looked to throw instead of run. He did whatever was necessary to get the ball into the hands of playmakers like Cam Skattebo and Jordyn Tyson. He threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-21 win. Over Arizona State's final five regular-season games, all wins, Leavitt said he felt like he started to dominate mentally. ('I was killing Cover 0 checks,' he said.) He completed 66.7 percent of his attempts for 1,278 yards with 13 touchdowns and one interception. Arizona State, a team picked to finish last in the Big 12, went to Arlington, Texas, to face Iowa State for the conference title and a spot in the CFP. The Sun Devils won, 45-19. Leavitt threw three touchdown passes and ran for another. After the game, Leavitt ran into Dallin. Although 10 years apart, the brothers are best friends. At AT&T Stadium, they celebrated, red-faced, yelling, chest-bumping, hand-slapping, butting heads. Dallin Leavitt saw a video of this as he left the stadium later that afternoon. He thought the moment, pure and raw, offered a glimpse into their relationship, their family and their motivation. 'It was such a cool moment because it felt like — man, excuse my language, but I don't really know how else to say it — but it felt like, 'F— everybody who doubted. I knew we were this. And I'm glad you got to show it,'' Dallin Leavitt said. 'That was the reality of it. That chip is just kind of how we function.'
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kenny Dillingham turns heads with comparison of Arizona State, Oregon in 2020's
Kenny Dillingham turns heads with comparison of Arizona State, Oregon in 2020's For years, and perhaps decades, West Coast college football fans have wondered why Arizona State isn't a better program. The Sun Devils have been competitive in most seasons, but they have never been great or serious contenders for major bowl games or a national title. It's always been quite the mystery that not even Sherlock Holmes would be able to solve. All the pieces are there. The facilities are good enough. The stadium is good enough. But perhaps the only thing missing was the right man at the helm. But perhaps with Sun Devil alum Kenny Dillingham, ASU finally has the right man. He showed the promise of Sun Devil football last season as they won the Big XII in their first season in the conference and were in the College Football Playoff, where ASU took Texas to double overtime before going down 39-31. According to Dillingham, it was just the tip of the iceberg of what the Sun Devils can do with the program. He wants to emulate the rise of Oregon of the 2000s and Clemson in the 2010s. "You have Clemson this last cycle, from 2010 to 2020. They just showed up. People think they've been around forever," Dillingham told writer Pete Nakos. "You have Oregon from 2000 to 2010. You can go back in history and figure out which teams have shown up in which era. There hasn't been a team in this era, in the 2020s. The lifestyle you have in Arizona, if we can create some staff consistency, and then we're in a league where we can continually compete to win." Clemson won two national championships in the last decade, but have fallen off some. Oregon, meanwhile, is still in pursuit of its first national title, but the Ducks are usually in contention in most seasons. Dillingham's challenge in Tempe now is to keep the Sun Devils consistently in the playoff conversation. They're off to a good start. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kenny Dillingham Cites Oregon When Making Bold ASU Prediction
Kenny Dillingham Cites Oregon When Making Bold ASU Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Oregon Ducks will hope to continue their success in the 2025-26 season after an incredible first year in the Big Ten Conference. Formerly of the Pac-12 Conference, the Ducks ran through the Big Ten to an undefeated regular-season record. Advertisement After the Ducks narrowly defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in a thriller, many thought they had what it took to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. After defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship, the Ducks were awarded the No. 1 overall seed. However, almost a month off proved to be too much, as the Ducks fell in a rematch to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Kenny Dillingham cites Oregon when making bold ASU claim If things had fell differently, there would've been a slight chance that the Ducks could've matched up against one of their former Pac-12 rivals in the Arizona State Sun Devils. Advertisement The Sun Devils, coached by former Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, also received a first-round bye for winning the Big 12 Championship, placing them on the same side of the bracket as Oregon and potentially setting up a semifinal matchup. On3's Pete Nakos interviewed Dillingham, who spoke on building something special at Arizona State rather than looking to be hired at a bigger school. In the interview, he used Oregon and Clemson as two main examples. 'You have Clemson this last cycle, from 2010 to 2020. They just showed up. People think they've been around forever," said Dillingham. "You have Oregon from 2000 to 2010. You can go back in history and figure out which teams have shown up in which era. "There hasn't been a team in this era, in the 2020s. The lifestyle you have in Arizona, if we can create some staff consistency, and then we're in a league where we can continually compete to win.' While turning Arizona State into a powerhouse like those programs, it's not out of the question that they could be a perennial power in the Big 12 Conference. Under the new College Football Playoff format, the Sun Devils wouldn't have received a top-four seed, as they did last season. Advertisement The Sun Devils making the College Football Playoff is a considerable achievement in its own right. But now, a question arises. Can Dillingham do it again? This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
