AP source: Dillingham is about to become the new coach at Arizona State.

The contract to make Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham the youngest head football coach in a Power Five league was being finalized by Arizona State on Saturday night.

The 32-year-old native of Phoenix, Arizona, is about to take over as head coach at the institution he graduated from only ten years ago, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions who spoke to The Associated Press.

The individual spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the specifics of the deal are still being worked out.

The first information that Arizona State was eyeing Dillingham came from Sports Illustrated.

After a 1-2 start, Arizona State dismissed Herman Edwards in September. In addition, the NCAA is looking into the football team for allegedly breaking recruiting laws when Edwards was in charge.

Before being hired as an offensive analyst by then-Arizona State coach Todd Graham in 2014, Dillingham started his coaching career at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.

This year, he has held the positions of quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State, and Oregon.

In 2018, Arizona State’s athletic director Ray Anderson took a calculated risk by signing TV pundit and former NFL coach Edwards.

In his first two seasons at Arizona State, the talkative coach won over the team’s supporters by showcasing his skill as a recruiter and guiding the Sun Devils to back-to-back bowl trips.

Arizona State was unable to maintain its on-field success, and the school came under scrutiny from the NCAA in 2020 for allowing prospects to stay on campus during the COVID-19 dead period.

A day after the Sun Devils’ Mid-American Conference loss to Eastern Michigan, although they were strong home favorites, Edwards was dismissed. In five seasons at Arizona State, he had a 46–26 record, including a 17–14 Pac–12 mark.

Shaun Aguano, the running backs coach, acted as the team’s interim coach, and they finished the season 2-7, losing to rival Arizona in the last game.

Miniechat

See author's posts