Kenny Dillingham spoke to Kyle Whittingham about Michigan job, says family was open to move

If there’s one thing to know about Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, it’s that he’s a family man.

There’s a reason the coach is his sister’s neighbor. They are tight and a big reason why Dillingham decided to stick with Arizona State despite Michigan’s courting efforts late last year.

Dillingham, however, may not have had to choose between family and the Wolverines after all, he told USA Today’s Jon Brice.

“Navigating the family, like, my family’s crazy. My family’s like, ‘If that is what you want to do, we’ll all move,'” Dillingham said during Big 12 Media Days. “That’s how my family operates. We’re very close. It’s like we’re doing it together. We’re doing things together. We’re doing things as a group.

“Now, whether that (move) would happen or not, I don’t know. It was an awesome, awesome experience, but I’m happy with Arizona State’s growth, and as long as they just continue to grow with this thing, hopefully we can build it.”

With that kind of potential buy-in from the family, why decide to stick around?

Dillingham said the program’s commitment to advancing while “bridging the gap” from when he first got to town in 2023 was critical in staying put. He didn’t want to “babysit an average program.”

“As long as we’re building to what I think can be a championship program in the long haul, and as we go, that’s what I care about,” he added.

Part of ASU showing that commitment included amending his contract that now averages more than $7 million per year, plus a staff salary pool at $11 million.

Kenny Dillingham spoke to Kyle Whittingham about Michigan job

Dillingham’s family members weren’t the only people the Sun Devils coach confided in during the Wolverines’ advances, either.

Coincidentally, new Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham was among those Dillingham reached out to after Michigan came calling.

“I actually called him early in the process to talk to him about his choices and his family and things that he’d never sacrificed,” Dillingham said.

“Michigan found the perfect guy for them,” the ASU coach added. “They really did, because Kyle Whittingham is somebody that I’ve looked up to.”

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