‘Our staff wins’: Kenny Dillingham’s new deal with ASU creates staff consistency, adds GM role
Kenny Dillingham said by way of his new contract, the ASU staff now has the benefit of long-term stability, including a new GM.
Watch: State of the Sun Devils: Who will start for ASU football this season? | 30 mins
TEMPE — Kenny Dillingham said by way of his new contract, the Arizona State football staff now has the benefit of long-term stability.
“Our staff wins,” Dillingham said Saturday. “Our staff is what got us to this point, our players are what’s got us to this point. This isn’t Kenny Dillingham’s program, this is our program. I’m just a piece of it.
"I think we're now in a position where we can have that stability, have that support to our players, to our coaches, and hopefully we can create that stability and continue to move forward and progress with the crazy times."
Kenny Dillingham on what his new deal with ASU means. pic.twitter.com/AZkPXmDGy4
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 20, 2025
“They’re a vital piece, and I think they deserve to be taken care of at a high level.”
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the contract that kept Dillingham in Tempe despite interest from Michigan provides up to $11 million in staffing salary, which is near the top in the Big 12 pecking order.
One of the things that allows for is a general manager, as executive director of football recruiting and player personnel Josh Omura will take on a bigger role.
“He’s pretty much our lead person in that world, and he’s going to take on the responsibility of that,” Dillingham said. “That was the plan when we hired him. Now we’re able to (promote him) because I’ve worked with him for a little while, and I trust him.”
arizona state is promoting josh omura to a general manager role, kenny dillingham said today.
he's been asu's executive director of football recruiting and player personnel since prior to this spring. pic.twitter.com/M3PPwbV8W3
— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) December 20, 2025
The coach reiterated that trust multiple times, adding Omura has a good eye for talent as someone with previous high school coaching experience.
Dillingham added other staff members “are turning down really, really good opportunities” with other programs. While he doesn’t expect to keep all of them, the boost should give ASU the ability to retain more than otherwise.
“It just says we want to be here in today’s hostile kind of world, that this is a place that as long as support is there — which it is — that we want to be here and … I think that just the comfort of knowing that guy truly wants to be here can add a little value,” he said.
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Comments
6 Comments
Glad this drama is over. Now let's see if all this financial commitment and supposed stability translates to continued program success. It's going to be interesting to see if Leavitt pulls out of the portal as a result - I doubt it but you never know.
Now go get a better offense coordinator.
The drama isn't over...just postponed for one to three years.
In order to compete in college football and basketball, you need to have athletic supporters with deep pockets (i.e. Cody Campbell & Texas Tech).. One aspects of blue blood programs are the supporters who give millions to billions (i.e. Phil Knight has given over $1B to Oregon both academics and athletics).
Who are the ASU athletic financial supporters? Before the end of the season, Coach Dillingham had a press conference where he said that only 99% of the valley have been activated. The remaining 1% are truly the 1 percenters (i.e. wealth).
Until the ASU has a supporter like a Cody Campbell, Coach D will be approached in the future when a head coaching position is available at a blue blood program. ASU can't give any more, it is going to be up to the ASU version of a wealthy Cody Campbell out there to put ASU over the top.