{"id":276706,"date":"2025-05-18T16:31:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T16:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/18\/were-a-bunch-of-misfits-and-underdogs-when-kenny-dillingham-opened-up-on-aftermath-of-asus\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:08:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:08:25","slug":"were-a-bunch-of-misfits-and-underdogs-when-kenny-dillingham-opened-up-on-aftermath-of-asus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/18\/were-a-bunch-of-misfits-and-underdogs-when-kenny-dillingham-opened-up-on-aftermath-of-asus\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;We&#8217;re a bunch of misfits and underdogs&#8221;: When Kenny Dillingham opened up on aftermath of ASU&#8217;s"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4921976\" data-slug-id=\"2523171\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>After conference realignment, Kenny Dillingham and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-football\/arizona-state-sun-devils-football\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Sun Devils<\/a> became a part of the Big 12. Following a 3-9 debut in the Pac-12, there were not a lot of expectations from him and his team. However, Dillingham proved his critics wrong by leading Arizona State to a Big 12 title and the quarterfinals of the 12-team playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>In December 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-football\/news-getting-football-stuff-here-kenny-dillingham-opens-next-step-elevate-asu-standards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Kenny Dillingham<\/a> appeared on the &#8220;Bussin&#8217; With the Boys&#8221; podcast. They discussed how the Sun Devils were projected to finish last in the Big 12 preseason. Dillingham said that he was proud of his players for exceeding expectations and achieving success as underdogs in the conference.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re like 14 (position) or 13 (position). We picked like 16. &#8230; so it&#8217;s a testament to our guys, man, our guys have a chip on their shoulders,&#8221; Dillingham said. &#8220;They play with a chip on their shoulders like they play, like to have something to prove. You know, I said earlier in the year, we&#8217;re a bunch of misfits and underdogs.&#8221; (TS- 1:20 onwards)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p><template id=\"bets-today-poll\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"preview-card-holder bets-today-poll\">\n<p><span class=\"date\"\/> \u2022 <span class=\"time\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"march-madness-logo\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/march-madness-logo.png\" height=\"42\" width=\"99\" alt=\"march madness logo\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"yt-wrapper\">                    <noscript><iframe title=\"Kenny Dillingham Took Arizona State From Projected Worst To Winning Big 12\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_5PzkP-CBZA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube\" data-embed=\"_5PzkP-CBZA\">\n<div class=\"play-button\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"370\" width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/_5PzkP-CBZA\/sddefault.jpg\" src-low=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/_5PzkP-CBZA\/sddefault.jpg\" class=\"lazy-img\" alt=\"youtube-cover\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Arizona State took on the Texas Longhorns in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal game. Unfortunately, their dream campaign came to an end at the hands of Steve Sarkisian&#8217;s team, who secured the victory with a 31-39 final score.<\/p>\n<p>During his introductory press conference in November 2022, Kenny Dillingham expressed his<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-football\/this-place-special-when-32-y-o-kenny-dillingham-broke-first-ever-asu-press-conference-youngest-coach\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\"> excitement about becoming a part of the Sun Devils<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m home. &#8230; this is literally home. This place is special. This state is special. The people in this room are special.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;We need the Valley behind us. We need the state behind us. We need butts in seats,&#8221; the Arizona State head coach said. &#8220;We need everything that this valley has all in, because I am all in.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Kenny Dillingham highlights influence of Cam Skattebo on Arizona State<\/h2>\n<p>Cam Skattebo spent two seasons with the Sun Devils. The New York Giants picked him up in the fourth round of this year&#8217;s draft. During a talk with reporters on April 20, Kenny Dillingham opened up about the influence of the running back on the team.<\/p>\n<p>Dillingham said that Skattebo will always have a place called home in the program.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;He broke the team down today. &#8230; because I said it was the last time that he&#8217;ll probably be here before he&#8217;s a professional athlete, and let&#8217;s break it down,&#8221; (TS-6:05 onwards)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Because Skatte&#8217;s going to be around this program for a long, long time, you know, as you guys can probably tell. This community has really embraced him, and he&#8217;s embraced it.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"yt-wrapper\">                    <noscript><iframe title=\"ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham gives an update after the Sun Devils wrap week 4 of spring practice\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cPtkawG4HbQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube\" data-embed=\"cPtkawG4HbQ\">\n<div class=\"play-button\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"370\" width=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/cPtkawG4HbQ\/sddefault.jpg\" src-low=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/cPtkawG4HbQ\/sddefault.jpg\" class=\"lazy-img\" alt=\"youtube-cover\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Kenny Dillingham and his team begin their 2025 campaign with a season opener against Northern Arizona. It will be interesting to see if the Sun Devils can defend their Big 12 title and once again qualify for a spot in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/1241221-1729427098-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;Priyam Hazarika&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nPriyam is a College Sports content executive at Sportskeeda with a master&#8217;s in Advertising and Marketing Management and over two years of experience as a writer. When it comes to reporting, Priyam believes doing a technical deep dive is one of his biggest strengths and he loves to dissect plays on the field and factor out the strengths\/weaknesses of players.<\/p>\n<p>A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Priyam sees Nick Saban as the greatest coach of all time. He is also rooting for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milore after following his progress over the years. The Michigan Wolverines football team is another of his favorite programs and it will be interesting to see how both these teams perform in new coaching eras.<\/p>\n<p>When he\u2019s not reporting, Priyam is usually at the gym or indulging in music. He has been a guitarist and a drummer for the past 17 years and finds his time of peace when playing music.\n<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"author-know-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/author\/priyam-hazarika-72b21\" aria-label=\"Author know more\">Know More<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-football\/news-we-re-bunch-misfits-underdogs-when-kenny-dillingham-opened-aftermath-asu-s-big-12-transition-conference-realignment\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] After conference realignment, Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils became a part of the Big 12. Following a 3-9 debut in the Pac-12, there<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":276707,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276706"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}