Arizona State edged West Virginia 25-23 on Saturday, led by another productive outing from senior QB Jeff Sims, who completed 19 of 28 passes for three touchdowns and zero interceptions, along with a team-high 81 rushing yards.
The win moved the Sun Devils up to 7-3 on the year and 5-2 in Big 12 play, having secured recent wins over No. 6 Texas Tech, Iowa State, and now, the Mountaineers.
However, ASU’s late surge hasn’t erased the disappointment of a season that began with a No. 11 ranking, sparking rumors that head coach Kenny Dillingham could be eyeing one of the many college football jobs now open.
After Saturday’s win, Dillingham put those rumors to rest.
“I never said I was leaving. This is home,” Dillingham told reporters. “You do have to continue to push. And my job running the program is to push and push and push until you can’t push anymore. And if I didn’t do that, I’d be cheating my players. I’d be cheating my staff. I’d be cheating the fan base. I’d be cheating everybody in the city. I’d be cheating the local businesses that feed off of us winning, and then they sell more beer. I’d be cheating everybody.”
“My number one goal always is to do whatever I can to push the envelope for Arizona State football,” Dillingham added.
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After going 3-9 in his first year at the helm in 2023, Dillingham guided ASU to a Big 12 championship in 2024, earning Big 12 Coach of the Year honors, and a College Football Playoff berth.
His overall head coaching mark after Saturday’s win sits at 21-15, with a CFP appearance and one conference title on his ledger.
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Due to his rapid rise, Dillingham’s name has been connected to multiple high-profile vacancies in a record-busy carousel.
Auburn’s opening joined LSU, Florida, Arkansas, and Penn State among Power Four jobs searching for head coaches, with national outlets ranking the cycle as historically active and projecting as many as 40 changes.
Specific Auburn chatter linked Dillingham among the leading candidates and noted his prior OC stint there in 2019.
However, in January, the school extended Dillingham, making him one of the Big 12’s highest-paid coaches.
Saturday’s comments reinforced Dillingham’s consistent approach of downplaying outside speculation and keeping the focus on program development.
In recent weeks, he has reiterated to players and media that his attention remains on finishing the season, not entertaining other opportunities.
With rivalry games against Colorado (Nov. 22) and Arizona (Nov. 28) still ahead, all signs point to him staying put in Tempe.
