Arizona State Coach Kenny Dillingham Discusses the Changing Landscape of College Football Recruiting
Over the course of the 2024 class’s two signing days, more than two dozen coaches from Power Five schools weighed in on the challenge of balancing high school and transfer portal recruiting to build out their classes. Among those coaches, none offered more insightful perspectives than 33-year-old Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham.
Dillingham’s view on rebuilding the Sun Devils back to national relevancy revolves around one primary question – what exactly is signing day in college football today? In his opinion, it’s no longer a guarantee of commitment, but merely a step in the process. For Dillingham, the changing nature of college football recruiting is a new era that requires an entirely different approach.
He believes that signing day, as it used to be known, is now just a recognition of the hard work done by high school players. In the current landscape, recruiting has become a year-round way of life that extends well beyond just the recruitment process. Dillingham argues that the old era of recruiting a player and then de-recruiting them once they’ve signed is dead, and the transfer portal serves as a testament to that. Trust, honesty, and building a sustainable culture are the key elements in his approach to recruiting and roster building.
As the demands on college coaches continue to escalate, recruiting has become an all-encompassing activity, with the addition of the NIL era and the complexities of managing the transfer portal. This has led to significant career decisions for some coaches, such as Nick Saban’s retirement and several others transitioning to the NFL in search of a more traditional coaching experience. The combination of coaching, recruiting, NIL, fundraising, and managing the transfer portal has raised the question of whether the challenges outweigh the rewards for many coaches.
Nevertheless, some coaches have embraced the changes in college football recruiting and accepted it as the new reality. The likes of Louisville, Colorado, and Ole Miss have adapted their recruiting strategies to include a significant focus on the transfer portal and have seen success as a result.
Dillingham emphasizes the need for adaptability in a constantly changing landscape, driven by evolving rules and regulations. He understands that the best model for building a roster is to prioritize getting the best players, regardless of whether they come from the high school ranks or the transfer portal. However, the question remains whether coaches, particularly young ones like Dillingham, will continue to embrace this adaptable mindset in the face of mounting challenges.
As the college football recruiting landscape undergoes rapid and continuous change, the conversation around the future of recruiting and roster building in this new era continues to evolve. The real test for coaches like Dillingham lies in whether they can sustain their current approach in the face of unknown future challenges and adapt to a landscape that seems to be in a perpetual state of flux.
In light of the changing dynamics of college football recruiting, Arizona State fans and college football enthusiasts at large are invited to share their thoughts and perspectives on this topic at DevilsDigest.com.
