Following a dominant 45-19 win in their conference championship game, Arizona State has won the Big 12 in their first season as a member of the league. Led by second-year head coach Kenny Dillingham, the Sun Devils have surely clinched a spot in the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Despite being picked to finish dead last within the Big 12 by experts during the preseason, Arizona State blocked out the hate to accomplish the unthinkable. While this season is surely one that Dillingham will forever savor, it should not be the pinnacle point of his coaching career. Instead, there very well be another university calling his name very soon: Ohio State.
With Buckeye fans begging for head coach Ryan Day’s removal following a fourth-consecutive loss to rival Michigan, there is no better time for Dillingham to capitalize on his recent success. Having shown that he can turn a 3-9 program into a conference champion in one year, there should be no doubts regarding his coaching ability. Moreover, Dillingham’s limited time as a head coach presents exciting wonders about his ceiling within college football.
Ohio State has not been able to facilitate their offense to their potential so far this season, and Dillingham may be able to solve their issues. As the offensive coordinator for the Oregon Ducks in 2022, Dillingham conducted a spectacular unit that finished within the top 10 for both points per game and yards per game. Moreover, the Sun Devils jumped from a mere 17.75 PPG to an efficient 32.1 PPG from year one to year two under the coach’s control.
Some may argue that Dillingham “does not have the necessary history of recruiting” to become the next coach at Ohio State. My argument to that is: it’s Ohio State. No matter who the head coach is, high school recruits and transfer portal players will want to be a Buckeye. If anything, adding a coach who just won a championship in a Power 4 conference to replace one who continuously cannot get it done would only entice a player more.
One thing that Buckeye fans would love about Dillingham is that he is clearly a “football guy”. It is evident that the man has a fire within him that burns as he coaches. When Arizona State fans prematurely rushed the field against #14 BYU, Dillingham went ballistic on the referees. He did not want his team to be screwed over by the mistake of the officials for calling the game early. As a viewer at home, I can say that the coach’s outburst quickly turned me into a fan.
Furthermore, Dillingham isn’t afraid to call out unacceptable play from his team. It’s no secret that Ohio State has a kicking issue, as special teams have killed the university in a multitude of big spots over the past couple of seasons. However, Ryan Day continues to roll out with the same shaky units. Conversely, when Arizona State’s kicker was struggling earlier this season, what did Dillingham do? He utilized a post-game speech with the media to announce that there would be open tryouts for the position. Now on their third kicker of the season, the Sun Devils were perfect on kicks in the Big 12 title game.
Lastly, Dillingham has already shown that he can get the absolute best out of his players. Running back Cam Skattebo was a member of the Sacramento State Hornets just two years ago. This season, Skattebo accumulated over 2,000 scrimmage yards and 22 touchdowns, possibly clinching a spot as a Heisman finalist after a dominant championship performance. Similarly, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson began his collegiate career at the University of Colorado, where he put up 470 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman. Flash forward to 2024, and the playmaker led the Sun Devils across the receiving board with 75 receptions for 1101 yards and 10 touchdowns. Now imagine what Dillingham could do with elite stars such as Jeremiah Smith
It’s time for Kenny Dillingham to take the center stage of college football. Ohio State needs a new leader, and the coach in charge of Arizona State’s turnaround is the right man for the job.
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