In his recent chat with Adam Breneman, Arizona State University College football coach Kenny Dillingham is making the best use of NIL money to fire up his team’s mindsets. He shared how the shift is rapidly reshaping the Sun Devils, pushing the program towards big wins and propelling them to a brighter future.
NIL Support Fuels Arizona State’s Winning Culture
When Dillingham took over, the program was really in a rough spot. NCAA sanctions and a thin roster left the program scrambling. But fast forward to today, the program is enjoying NIL support in another dimension. “It’s been double, triple, quadruple—I don’t even know the number.” Dillingham affirms in his interview with Breneman.
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The NIL cash opportunity has given the program a recruiting edge. Top talent across the country wants in. Of course, the team can now compete with the big dogs players who might have shunned the program before Dillingham took the helm. The Sun Devils went 3-9 in 2022. With Dillingham at the helm and NIL playing its part, the program flipped the script, posting double-digit wins and a championship season.
Building Sustainable Success Amidst NIL Competition
The coach is aware of the challenges ahead of him. Sustaining this momentum will be a big task, a hurdle he must overcome in a competitive NIL landscape. “We can be a flash in the pan—cool one year, good next year, we could suck again,” he told Breneman. Liking the program’s journey to the TV show Survivor: you can spark a fire, but without constant care, it fizzles out. Arizona State’s task is to keep that flame roaring.
NIL support at Arizona State is heating up — and it’s not just a one-year thing.
Kenny Dillingham’s building something real, and staying at the top of the Big 12 means keeping that momentum.
ASU is serious about winning. pic.twitter.com/MxbjLh2h0T
— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman81) May 23, 2025
The program also lays the groundwork to avoid being a one-hit wonder. Beyond NIL, the university invests heavily in infrastructure, upgraded facilities, expanded scholarships, and a revamped recruiting strategy.
In 2024, Arizona State landed a top-25 recruiting class, a rarity for the program in recent years, with the help of Dillingham and his staff, who keep the pipeline hot with high school prospects and transfer portal additions. But the NIL race is relentless. Programs like Texas, Oregon, and USC also wield massive NIL budgets, and smaller programs are starting to close the distance on college football’s elite.
KEEP READING: ‘Our Goal Is Not To Win The Natty’ — Arizona State HC Kenny Dillingham Challenges Sun Devils To Focus on ‘Growth’
Dillingham’s call to “keep letting the fire get bigger” is a vision for a program that refuses to settle for a single spark of glory. If the Sun Devils can maintain their edge, with robust NIL support under their head coach and Phoenix’s unrelenting drive, the program could redefine its place in college football, as they have already set the foundation.
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