"I literally spent 9 years of my life doing anything to become coffee boy": Kenny Dillingham fumes at complacent coaches asking them to "quit"

Being the head coach of a college football program is a tough job. But recently there have been many head coaches who have decided to leave their program for easier coordinator jobs in both the NFL and college football.

Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham recently gave his opinion on this issue, saying:

“ I literally spent nine years of my life doing anything to become a coffee boy... So, don’t give me the ‘Oh, it’s hard to be a coach right now.’ Yeah, it’s hard. Then quit.”

The additional responsibilities of a college football head coach

Dillingham's blunt statement reflects the growing concern among college football coaches. The job is not just calling plays; there is a lot of organization and strategy behind it.

But, unlike a coordinator, the head coach does a lot of things off the field as well. Most of these relate to the NIL, something that coaches did not have to deal with five years ago. Besides, the head coach keeps an eye on the players when they are away from training.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Ruhle commented on this issue on the ESPN College GameDay podcast, saying:

“It’s really about running an organization and making sure that everything’s optimized. And we get held accountable for everything. We get held accountable for player academics and player discipline; everything comes back at us. So you’re constantly having to be vigilant about all those things.”

The head coach does everything they can to make not only their players the best they can be on the field but also off the field. This adds to their already high workload, something that a coordinator does not have to worry about.

From all of this, it is not surprising that we are seeing many head coaches take coordinator jobs. But Kenny Dillingham is not one of those people.

Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils

Dillingham took the Sun Devils job in 2023, after having a successful career as an offensive coordinator for many schools, including the Oregon Ducks.

In his first year, the Sun Devils finished with a 3-9 record. They struggled, but they are a program that is rebuilding and will improve over time.

Dillingham is up for this challenge, and unlike many head coaches, he has no intentions of leaving for an easier coordinator job.