The Herman Edwards era of Arizona State football began with promise and an early bowl appearance in year one. It ended with controversy — involving alleged recruiting violations pertaining to COVID-19 plus assistants reportedly giving away game plans before games to opponents, culminating with a regime change during the 2022 season.
Now, the Sun Devils aren’t just going local, but younger at the top of the staff.
Arizona State Sun Devils Coaching Staff
The university surprised many across the NCAA landscape by hiring Edwards back in 2018, which brought over a longtime NFL coach in his 60s and someone who hadn’t coached in a decade to Tempe.
Now, ASU will turn to a familiar face to reignite the program, though a face more familiar with the fertile nearby recruiting grounds of Scottsdale and the surrounding communities. From the head coach to position coaches, here’s the 2023 Sun Devils staff.
Head Coach, Kenny Dillingham
Dillingham has more than just ties to his alma mater. He’s deeply connected to Scottsdale.
Dillingham was born and raised in the area and got his first coaching start at Chapparal High School. At the age of 21, he was promoted to offensive coordinator for the state of Arizona powerhouse. That offense was rated No. 1 in the state in 2013.
From there, Dillingham established himself as an innovative offensive mind who additionally helped create a recruiting pipeline with Scottsdale and the surrounding communities at every CFB stop he was in.
While at Memphis, Dillingham’s offenses ranked in the top five nationally in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, he got the Auburn offense to average 33.2 points per game. He then spent 2020 and ’21 with Florida State, reuniting with one of his coaching mentors, Mike Norvell.
Dillingham most recently ran the offense and coached the QBs at Oregon. His lone season resulted in the Ducks ranking fourth in total offense, including averaging 38.8 points per game.
Along with improving the eighth-ranked offense from 2022, Dillingham is out to improve ASU’s local recruit efforts. He’s not alone in knowing the local recruiting territories on this new staff.
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Assistant Head Coach & Special Teams Coordinator, Charlie Ragle
Ragle is another well-known face in Arizona as a state champion head coach at the high school level. Not only did Ragle win a state championship at Moon Valley High in Phoenix in 2004 as the defensive coordinator, but he also guided Chapparal to three consecutive state titles from 2009 to 2011 as the head coach.
He made his official jump to the college ranks in 2012 with the University of Arizona and has now returned to his home state.
Prior to joining ASU, Ragle served as the head coach of Idaho State in 2022, which ended with a 1-10 record. Before that, he was credited for luring Arizona talent to California, where he served as the special teams and tight ends coach.
One of his notable recruiting successes was defensive lineman Brett Johnson, who earned third-team Freshman All-American honors in 2019.
Ragle brings his expertise in connecting with local high school coaches on the recruiting trail and overseeing the special teams unit in Tempe, providing Dillingham with a valuable right-hand man.
Offensive Coordinator, Beau Baldwin
Baldwin joins Ragle in transitioning from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) head coaching ranks to ASU, leaving his position as the head coach at Cal Poly to take charge of the Sun Devils’ offense.
This is not the first time Baldwin and Ragle have worked together in the Pac-12, as they were previously colleagues at Cal from 2017 to 2019 before Baldwin accepted the head coaching job at Cal Poly in December 2019.
Baldwin boasts a past national championship as the head coach of Eastern Washington, where he coached future NFL wide receivers Kendrick Bourne and Cooper Kupp. He is known for running a multiple offense that features designed run-pass option (RPO) looks and formations with five wide receivers.
Defensive Coordinator, Brian Ward
Ward was recruited from Washington State’s staff to take charge of ASU’s defense. In 2022, his Cougars defense ranked as the third-best in the conference, allowing only 22.9 points per game.
Dillingham’s Oregon offense was one of only two teams to score 44 points against Ward’s unit on September 24. Ward most recently coached standout linebacker Daiyan Henley, who was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Prior to his time at Washington State, Ward helped improve the Nevada Wolf Pack defense in takeaways and scoring defense in 2019. Before his tenure in Reno, he served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Syracuse, where Zaire Franklin went on to become a member of the Indianapolis Colts. The 2018 Orange defense ranked in the top six nationally in interceptions and fumbles recovered.
Lastly, Ward has ties to Arizona as he is a native of Glendale and a graduate of the University of Phoenix.
Passing Game Coordinator & Wide Receivers Coach, Ra’Shaad Samples
Samples returns to the college game after a year with the Los Angeles Rams, where he served as an assistant running backs coach and became the league’s youngest position coach at 27. He received praise for his recruiting efforts at SMU, where he earned the title of the American Athletic Conference’s top recruiter according to 247Sports.
Along with focusing on the surrounding communities near ASU, Samples has the potential to create a pipeline from Texas to Tempe.
Running Backs Coach, Shaun Aguano
Dillingham retained Aguano after handling interim coaching duties following Week 3. One notable player Aguano coached before Edwards’ departure from the school was Eno Benjamin, who was drafted in 2020 by the Arizona Cardinals and has since joined the New Orleans Saints.
Aguano shares a common background with his new colleagues Dillingham and Ragle, as he was a state championship-winning head coach at the high school level, building up Chandler High into a national power.
Offensive Line Coach, Saga Tuitele
Tuitele joins ASU after a season with Fresno State, where he won the Mountain West Conference title alongside former then-Pac-10 head coach Jeff Tedford (Cal). He is known for producing strong run blocking at all of his previous coaching stops, including Cal Poly, New Mexico, and Army, where he worked with Triple Option schemes. ASU presents Tuitele with his first opportunity in a Power 5 conference.
Tight Ends Coach, Jason Mohns
Continuing the trend of bringing in Arizona Valley coaching legends, Mohns comes from state and national powerhouse Saguaro High. He achieved an unprecedented six straight state titles from 2013 to 2018 and compiled an impressive coaching record of 123-19. Notable future NFL players he coached include 2023 fourth-round draft pick Kelee Ringo (Philadelphia Eagles) and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk.
Mohns is also an ASU graduate.
Defensive Line Coach, Vince Amey
Amey reunites with Dillingham at ASU, having previously coached alongside the new ASU head coach at Chapparal during their Arizona State Championship run in 2011. Amey, an ASU alum, played a pivotal role on the ASU defense during their surprise 1996 Rose Bowl run. He worked with Ragle at Idaho State in the same position last season.
Linebackers Coach & Run Game Coordinator, A.J. Cooper
Cooper, like Ward, comes from Washington State to join ASU’s coaching staff. He spent the last three seasons in Pullman as the run game coordinator and defensive ends coach.
Prior to his time at Washington State, he coached at Wyoming, where the Cowboys made three consecutive bowl appearances, including having the nation’s sixth-best red zone defense in 2019. Cooper is originally from Phoenix and excelled as a tight end during his junior college football career at Glendale.
Cornerbacks Coach, Bryan Carrington
Carrington brings his Texas connections to ASU, having worked as the offensive analyst and recruiting coordinator for the national title game runner-up Texas Christian University (TCU) last season.
Before joining ASU, Carrington played a crucial role in assembling a top 20 recruiting class for TCU in 2023.
Prior to his time at TCU, he spent 2017-2020 at the University of Texas and was credited with helping recruit future 2023 first-round running back Bijan Robinson.
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Senior Coaching Advisor & Pro Liason, Matt Butterfield
The Scottsdale native will also serve as the football chief of staff under Dillingham. Butterfield joins ASU after coaching tight ends and serving as the special teams coordinator for the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL. This is not Butterfield’s first stint with the Sun Devils, as he previously worked with the wide receivers from 2010 to 2012 under then-head coach Dennis Erickson.
