“We can do that here”: Kenny Dillingham expresses faith in ASU to be a “Blue Blood program” 

Kenny Dillingham led Arizona State to the Big 12 title last season against all odds. The Sun Devils were projected to finish last in the conference during the offseason. However, Dillingham took his team to the league crown and went on to play in the College Football Playoff.

While this is already a great achievement for the coach at his alma mater, Kenny Dillingham has bigger dreams in Tempe. As a couple of programs have done, he wants the Sun Devils to attain “Blue Blood” status over the next decade, especially in the minds of the younger generation.

“Every decade, there's a team,” Dillingham said while on the 'Next Up with Adam Breneman' podcast. “[From] 2000 to 2010, Oregon showed up. 2011 to 2020, Clemson showed up. People look at those teams as Blue Bloods now. Maybe the older heads don't look at them as Blue Bloods. But if you're 18 to 17 years old, they're Blue Blood.

"All they've known is those schools winning. Who's going to be the team from 2020 to 2030? Who's going to be this era of the team that shows up and the next generation of kids looks at them differently? I really think we can do that here," he added.

Kenny Dillingham is confident the goal of being a top program is attainable

After going all the way to the Big 12 championship last season, Arizona State can no longer be underrated. It also took Texas double overtime to eliminate them in the Peach Bowl during the playoffs. This goes to show what the Sun Devils can achieve in the next couple of years.

Kenny Dillingham is confident Arizona State can become a top program in the landscape following its 2024 heroic. It's already one of his pitches to recruit as he works towards attaining that.

“I firmly believe it,” Dillingham said. “From the commitment, from the university to the city, to the fans selling out, to the staff all returning this year. I really believe this place has the tools necessary for kids 10 years from now to be like; ‘Woah! They weren't always this good?’

“Sometimes I show that to the recruit and they're like, ‘Woah, they aren't always like a 12-win team like Clemson is now or a 10-win team?’ Like no, this just happened bud, but that's what you can be a part of that here," he added.

After retaining a strong core of its roster, Arizona State is expected to remain competitive in the 2025 college football season by many analysts. Kenny Dillingham will be looking to retain the Big 12 championship and return to the playoffs.