Just when the coaching carousel was nearing a stop, Michigan sent HC Sherrone Moore packing. One of CFB’s most tiered programs is now up for grabs, but they won’t be getting the favorite for the job. Arizona State is working to keep Kenny Dillingham at Tempe for good, throwing Michigan’s hopes into jeopardy.

Kenny Dillingham was the top favorite for the new Michigan job. However, Arizona State loves him too much to let him go. The Sun Devils and Dillingham are reportedly wrapping up discussions about an agreement on contract amendments, insider Chris Karpman reported. His annual base salary is also set to be increased. According to Karpman, these talks have been going on for the past two weeks.

Dillingham’s contract had already been extended in January this year, which will now run till 2029. His salary was also increased to $5.8 million. These amendments are a sign that ASU wants its HC to be in for the long run. He’s facilitated an immensely quick turnaround of the Sun Devils, clinching the Big 12 title and a playoff spot in only his second year with the program. No wonder he was a favorite to replace Sherrone Moore. He was fired by Michigan on December 10 with cause, after it was revealed he was in an inappropriate relationship with another Michigan staffer.

Kenny Dilingham led the odds of being his replacement on Kalshi at 37%. Kalen DeBoer was next at 22%. Even though ASU had a so-so 2025, taking Dillingham out of ASU was always going to be a problem for Michigan. This now becomes a serious problem for the Wolverines, because all the good head coaching candidates are now off the board. It will be difficult to target someone worthy enough to lead the blueblood program. With Dillingham locked for the future by ASU, Michigan fans now have some serious reason to worry.

2025 marks yet another year that controversy has enveloped Michigan football. This is not the first time a staffer has brought bad rap for the program, as the 2023 sign-stealing scandal is a very recent memory. Sherrone Moore extending the list of bad Michigan hires has now created a doubt about the ability of the program to land a quality recruit as a coach. Michigan still has a bowl game left to win, which features a difficult opponent in Texas. Things at Ann Arbor stand on shaky ground at the moment.

Dillingham has popped up as a candidate for multiple coaching jobs this season, but he has maintained his desire to remain at Tempe. If the other programs missed out on him, there was no way Michigan was going to get him.

Kenny Dillingham was never interested in any other job

The ASU HC and his team had shocked college football with its trailblazing performance. Dillingham cemented himself as a name to watch out for, having scripted a poor 3-8 season the year before. After 2024, the Sun Devils didn’t want to lose the man who took them to the playoffs for the first time and produced talents like Cam Skattebo and Sam Leavitt. Turns out. Dillingham himself also wasn’t a fan of moving out.

“The one thing I can say is with a straight face, and I can feel great about: during our football season, I talked to zero people about any other job,” Dilligham said on the Travis Takes Two podcast.

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“I know that’s not industry standard. I have a lot of respect for our football team. These guys chose to be here; they didn’t just go take the most money and leave. After last year’s season, they wanted to be here. It’s my responsibility to do the same thing to them, that’s just what I believe in.”

Kenny Dillingham put ASU football back on the map again. Before him, the last time the program saw a winning season was in 2019, with Herm Edwards. And the last time ASU registered a double-digit win finish was in 2014. Recruiting has also consistently picked up under Dillingham. The Sun Devils have the 35th-best class in the 2026 cycle, with 19 signees. The class is led by 4-star QB Jake Fette.

“I was never leaving,” Kenny Dillingham said at a presser on November 15.

It’s tough to root a staffer out of a program that he’s not only coaching, but also played for. Tempe is Kenny Dillingham’s home, which makes other jobs seem less appealing to him at the moment. He is invested in building the future of ASU football. Michigan seems to have been knocking on a door that was never going to be open.