In today’s ever-changing college sports landscape, loyalty stands out. Few embrace that quality more than coach Kenny Dillingham, who reaffirmed his commitment to Arizona State in more ways than one this offseason.
“It’s an arms race to continue to compete and get better, so if we ever say, ‘We’ve made it, we’re there, we’ve got every support we need,’ I’m actually hurting our football program,” he said Wednesday at ASU’s annual youth football camp.
To fully activate the Valley, Dillingham is looking to extend the program’s footprint in one key area: in-state recruiting. To achieve this, ASU implemented a new strategy called the “Golden Ticket” program, a way to get back to old-school recruiting.
“An offer isn’t what an offer was 10 years ago,” Dillingham said. “12, 15 years ago, an offer meant you could commit. Now, an offer means, ‘Hey, come out to camp, we might like you in a few years, we may take you.’”
The golden ticket, on the other hand, is “A real offer, an offer that’s what it’s meant to be.”
It allows players to commit to Arizona State early, and not deal with the stresses of recruitment. The program is beginning to pay off, with a top-ranked player in Arizona, 4-star offensive tackle Jake Hildebrand, accepting his golden ticket earlier this summer.
To continue momentum, Dillingham has challenged the local community to invest in the program.
“I stood on the pedestal and said crazy things, and people liked it, people not,” he said. “Well, we found that amount of money that I asked for through two different people in the next three months.”
Dillingham’s $20 million target was quickly met, but that doesn’t mean the work stops.
“I’m always going to be constantly pushing to get better and better and better, and I think anybody who doesn’t want me to push to be better and better and better, doesn’t want to try and compete at the highest level,” he said. “Because that’s what it takes, it takes constant improvement.”
While Dillingham is looking to improve the future of the Sun Devils, it must not come at the expense of the present. With a number of incoming transfers, veterans like Kyson Brown will take on larger roles both on and off the field.
“It’s just getting over that learning curve, getting a lot of the new guys acclimated to the system,” Brown said. “We got some great talent in that room, and it’s just getting them used to our offense.”
Arizona State’s offense looks almost completely different from last year. Quarterback Sam Leavitt (LSU) and running back Raleek Brown (Texas) left in the transfer portal, and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson was drafted 8th overall by the New Orleans Saints. Kyson Brown is ready to take over after missing almost all of last season with a knee injury.
“Last year didn’t end in my favor, so it’s been a working challenge,” Brown said. “I definitely left a lot out on the table with my injury, so the job now is just proving myself.
“In college football, I feel like I’m one of the best running backs in the country, if not the best.”
Dillingham also offered thoughts on the proposed 24-team College Football Playoff expansion.
“I love tournaments, I love competing, I love those environments,” he said. “I just want to get in a scenario to where we can compete at the highest level as many times as we can versus the best teams in the country.”
An expanded playoff would not only increase opportunities to compete for a National Championship, but it could heighten the importance of late-season matchups. Last year’s Territorial Cup, for example, likely would have determined a CFP spot, with both Arizona and ASU entering the matchup nationally ranked.
As anticipation builds for the upcoming season, the team’s youth camp offers a way for players and coaches alike to reflect on their situations.
“The fun part is giving back to the community,” Dillingham said. “At the end of the day, we’re a state institution. Arizona State University, which means our job is to serve the community that we’re in.”
Brown said watching kids fly around the field “puts into perspective the pure love for the game.”
As far as ASU football has come in recent years, the Sun Devils know they are just reaching the surface of what’s possible. With mascot Sparky gracing the cover of the upcoming College Football video game, the blueprint is set to Arizona State to take the next step.
“We’re not even 20% to what we can really do here,” Dillingham said.
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