As a young coach, Kenny Dillingham learned a lot from Iowa State's Matt Campbell. When Dillingham was an assistant at Auburn, he had the opportunity to go study at a college football program for two days.

Two years ago, on Nov. 27, 2022, Kenny Dillingham was introduced as the new Arizona State head football coach. It was a job not many wanted. The cloud of an NCAA investigation was still hovering and penalties had not been doled out yet. The fan base was frustrated at the direction of the program under the previous leadership.