Kenny Dillingham’s competitive drive sees him turn to unique strategy while playing pool

Kenny Dillingham has a knack for how competitive he is, and that drive extends well beyond the gridiron.

ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis took a tour of Arizona State football’s players lounge, which Dillingham unsurprisingly calls “Competitionville.”

During the tour, Davis and Dillingham battled over a golf simulator, took a stab at table tennis and hit the sticks for a friendly game of EA Sports College Football 26 on the PlayStation, but it was a game of pool that really showcased Dillingham’s drive to win.

🏈 @ReceDavis continues his journey across the U.S. to spend time with CFB coaches shaping the game

Next stop ➡️ @ASUFootball

Davis sat down with @KennyDillingham for a deep dive into @TheSunDevils‘ shocking rise to the ’24 #CFBPlayoff after winning the @Big12Conference Champ pic.twitter.com/y1i6zGFB24

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) July 29, 2025

“I’m not very good at pool, so I will literally, when I play somebody better than me — you can ask my dad because we grew up playing pool — I will literally put all of my balls not in the pocket,” Dillingham said to Davis as he explained his weird pool strategy.

“So (my dad) gets to the 8-ball, because he’s not very good either, he eventually scratches because he physically can’t make a ball in because I have shielded the entire 8-ball … with his balls around it … because I know I’m going to struggle to win. And he says it’s cowardly to play like that, but I just want to win.”

Dillingham later clarified he means hitting the balls around the pockets to protect from the 8-ball going in, not hitting the balls around the 8-ball itself, but nevertheless it seems Dillingham isn’t shy about getting creative to find any edge he can, even in the game of pool.

Related

Arizona State football legend Eric Allen inducted into Pro Football Hall of FameSam Leavitt is an elite QB prospect in 2026 NFL Draft, per ESPN's Yates and KiperLSU cancels home-and-home series with ASUCam Skattebo can’t quite stick landing on backflip during Fanatics FestASU-Arizona Territorial Cup among top 5 rivalries in nation, study saysToo-early projected starting lineup for ASU football for 2026