Big 12 Coach of the Year Kenny Dillingham has transformed ASU from being a 3-9 program in one year to going 11-2, winning the conference championship and competing in the College Football Playoff.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In doing so, he has won numerous awards and is in the running for another massive honor.
Announced on Tuesday, officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. revealed the five finalists for the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank. Dillingham, Shane Beamer (South Carolina), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Dan Lanning (Oregon) and Jeff Monken (Army) are the coaches under consideration.
“Finalists include five of the nation’s top college football coaches who embody the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, both on and off the field,” a press release said.
Picked to finish dead last in the Big 12 Preseason Media Poll, Dillingham and his team have defied the odds to get to where they are today. With a vast amount of transfers coming in from other programs around the country, ASU put the college football world on notice and earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.
Nov 30, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham against the Arizona Wildcats during the Territorial Cup at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Arizona State crushed SEC team Mississippi State, beat Big 12 foes Utah, BYU and Kansas State when they were ranked and annihilated Iowa State to win the conference title. Dillingham helped running Cam Skattebo be in the Heisman Trophy conversation and guided players like Skattebo, wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, quarterback Sam Leavitt and defensive back Xavion Alford to earning All-Big 12 honors.
“This year’s finalists truly represent the next generation of coaching greats for our sport considering four of the five selections have been head coaches for less than five years,” Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation chairman Jim Terry said in the release. “Coach Dodd would have admired how these coaches have been able to establish success within their programs, both on and off the field, particularly so early in many of their head coaching careers.”
The award winner will be announced during the week of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. ASU will play the winner of No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Clemson on Jan. 1, 2025, in Atlanta, Ga.
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Suns, ASU Athletics and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
