Kenny Dillingham interview on ESPN after Utah win sums up Arizona State head coach

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham gave an electric interview on Friday night after his team delivered a 27-19 upset over No. 16 Utah.

Dillingham, 34, was interviewed in the middle of ASU fans who swarmed the field at Mountain American Stadium and cut short his air time to celebrate with the supporters. "This team fights, and they fight and they fight," Dillingham said on the field after the game.

"That's who you need to talk to right now! Not me!" Dillingham then added, before proceeding to celebrate with the Arizona State fans. "It's kind of crazy! I was one of these guys, I was doing this," he concluded.

Dillingham was referring to the fact he was a student at ASU and graduated from the university in 2012 with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. Dillingham always dreamed of becoming a coach and is now the youngest full-time head coach in college football with his home team.

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ASU is 5-1 on the season after making a strong start, already winning more times than last year. Dillingham went 3-9 in his debut season with Arizona, after being hired on November 27, 2022.

Dillingham became the first coach from Arizona to hold the head coaching role for the team, and also the first to do so after attending the university. Aged 34, Dillingham may be a young head coach, but he's been gaining experience ever since the age of 17.

Before enrolling at ASU, Dillingham played football at Chaparral High School but tore his ACL during his senior year. The injury ended his dreams of becoming a professional football player, but he instantly turned his attention to coaching.

Dillingham started coaching the junior varsity team at Chaparral and at the age of 21 was promoted to offensive coordinator of the varsity team. He completed his studies while coaching at high school, and was later handed a golden opportunity in college football.

In 2014 he was hired as an offensive assistant at Arizona State under offensive coordinator Mike Norvell, a coach he'd met while working at Chaparral. Norvell was later hired to become head coach at Memphis and brought Dillingham with him, where he continued to climb the coaching ranks before becoming offensive coordinator in 2018.

Dillingham then spent time with Auburn, Florida State, and Oregon, before Arizona State decided to offer its former student a head coaching role. It's been an emotional return for Dillingham, who attended his first ASU game at the age of 6.

When recounting that memory from September 1996 to ASU News in 2022, Dillingham said: "What do I remember? Nothing, other than my face was painted. I had a (Jake Plummer) jersey on, and I was sitting there eating nachos. That’s about it."