Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils are in the midst of a necessary off week.
Arizona State (2-1, 1-0 Big 12) are freshly coming off a conference-opening victory over the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday.
Despite the victory, there are several questions facing Dillingham and this team in particular. Saturday’s victory marks the first one that Arizona State won when recording under 250 yards of offense since 2019.
The 36-year-old head coach took time to address specific questions in a Sept. 22 press conference – follow the key point below.
Dillingham Addresses Arizona State’s Offensive Hiccups
The Arizona State alum opened up his press conference by addressing potential subtle fixes to the unit as a whole – ultimately suggesting slight personnel shifts (Chris Karpman, SunDevilSource).
“There will be some personnel changes. Not drastic, but there will be some.”
It’s anyone’s guess as to what these changes are beyond figuring out who takes Khamari Anderson’s place as TE1, but shifting the offensive line and running back rotations might come into play. Kyson Brown is the current starting back, and is putting together a productive start to the year. However, now might be the time for Dillingham to flex the sheer depth the Sun Devils’ RB room owns.
Dillingham clearly is changing his tune from his more critical statement on the offense as a whole in aftermath of victory Saturday. The fourth-year head coach took responsibility for not putting the offense in a position to move the ball, while also stating he isn’t overtly concerned with the unit moving forward this season.
Sun Devils Must Involve More Players in Passing Game
How do these changes (beyond personnel come into fold?
By spreading the wealth in the passing game.
“We’ve got to figure out how to get more of the wideouts involved in the offense. I don’t think there is a debate about that” (Karpman).
One player that Dillingham is bullish one (during the press conference) is Jaren Hamilton. The 2025 transfer via Alabama ran the opening second half kickoff back for a 100-yard touchdown on Saturday. Hamilton’s skills far exceed that of a contender, however. The 6’0″ receiver was a continual standout during Arizona State’s fall practices in 2025.
He even put together a breakout performance in last October’s game against Texas Tech, hauling three passes in for 101 yards in the process. Hamilton is a much more advanced route runner than many would expect, as well as possessing the motor and athleticism to be great.
Beyond Hamilton are slot receivers Raiden Vines-Bright and Jalen Moss. This receiver group is perhaps the deepest in the last 10 years in Tempe. Dillingham and OC Marcus Arroyo must find ways to get the passing game going past Reed Harris and Omarion Miller. This also means reconciling pass pro on the outside, and drawing up creative plays that catch teams such as Texas Tech off-guard.
Arizona State and Dillingham return to action on October 3 against the Baylor Bears in a home contest.
Kenny Dillingham Offers Solutions to Arizona State’s Offensive Struggles