ASU’s Kenny Dillingham pranks team in first spring practice

Syndication: Arizona Republic

TEMPE –It’s the first spring practice at Kajakawa practice fields for the Big 12 champion Arizona State football. ASU entered 2024 as the uniramous pick to finish last in the conference and shocked the world by running the table. Head coach Kenny Dillingham chose to highlight this achievement at the first spring practice by playing “We Are the Champions” by Queen.

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The song echoed across the loudspeakers and was a nice reminder of what ASU had achieved. However, it soon turned into a nightmare as the song ran on a loop dozens of times throughout the whole practice. The soon iconic tune became nauseating for players, a deliberate ploy by Dillingham.

ASU Dillingham on why he repeated the song.

“I wanted it to become monotonous, like `Who gives a crap?'” Dillingham said. “You’re going to be told so many good things forever, you better just become so monotonous to you that it’s irrelevant. Nobody cares, so we’re just trying to make last year irrelevant because nobody cares anymore. So we’re going to do things and play things that make last year irrelevant.”

Dillingham’s plan worked, as quarterback Sam Leavitt echoed his sentiment about last year’s championship. Leavitt called winning the Big 12 “fun for the moment,” but his sights are focused on next season, as he said the Sun Devils are no longer champions in the new year.

Tuesday was a great insight into the mindset of this ASU squad heading into next year. Dillingham and his team are ready to prove last year wasn’t a fluke.

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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports