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By Reice Shipley
Contributing Sports Writer
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The landscape of college football is set to look much different in 2026 thanks to several high-profile SEC head coaching jobs opening this season. However, one top candidate for some of the major openings in the conference has reportedly taken his name out of the running.
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has quickly emerged as a popular candidate for the Auburn, LSU, and Florida head coaching vacancies. This is particularly due to Dillingham's ability to transform the Sun Devils football program, helping them reach the CFP for the first time in his second season in Tempe.
Despite potentially being in the running for some of these SEC coaching vacancies, reports emerged on Thursday suggesting he plans to stay at Arizona State past the 2025 season.
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According to Chris Karpman of On3 Sports, Dillingham reportedly told his players on Thursday that he will remain head coach of the Sun Devils in 2026.
"He just walked in, said he wasn't going anywhere next year, and that it's going to be business as usual," said one parent of an Arizona State defensive player, via Karpman. "Then he left. He also did that with other [positions on the team] because those players heard the same thing and they talked about it after."
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Given the fact that Dillingham is a native of Scottsdale, it's certainly possible that the Arizona State head coaching job is his dream opportunity. Or, maybe Dillingham was simply trying to quiet to rumors temporarily and get his players to stay focused for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Either way, it's certainly notable that Dillingham is at least showing all of the signs behind the scenes of someone who seems dedicated to the Arizona State program.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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