Arizona State Head Coach Kenny Dillingham Weekly Press Conference
Monday, October 27th 2025
On Facing Iowa State and Week Ten:

On if there is a different or consistent message to the team after a loss:
“I think it's consistent. Like I said all along, it's not linear. Nobody grows like this, but you grow like this. Then you just hope that at the end you're higher than where you started, and when you take over something. I definitely think the growth is there. Sometimes it doesn't show, and sometimes the growth isn't linear, and those are the days that suck when you have the down moments and the down days. But you've got to be able to respond from that and think the big picture. So yes, it's pretty much the same process. You do have to potentially message things differently, like what is the goal, or how do we improve? It's going to be different every week in terms of that process, but in terms of the messaging of what you think there's only one way to get better is to work hard and take ownership of things and try to improve.”

On how they will move going forward, following (Special Teams Coordinator) Charlie Ragle taking a leave of absence:
“I’ll say nothing about that other than just casual conversations, what you always do for a friend or a mentor, checking on them. In terms of how we're going to move forward, Jack Nudo is going to take the lead there. I'm going to be involved, I was way more involved last week because that's my role as I float around from that perspective. (Senior Offensive Analyst) Coach Wozniak, who has experience being a special teams coordinator in the past, is also going to be involved in special teams underneath Jack. So I think we have a team together to replace him. He did a lot; the hard part is not replacing the football. The hard part is replacing the staff dynamics of who people are going to complain to now. It's the natural human nature, not everybody likes everything we do. Like, who do they go to complain to, who takes things off of my plate before they hit there? There are so many more layers to it than what the people see. Coach Ragles was an instrumental part in taking a program that was on life support and bringing it to the highest it's been in decades, and sometimes people don't take that into account, the things that he did to get us to that point.”

On reviewing the penalties from special teams :
“We're in chase mode too many times, and we're giving officials opportunities to throw flags, and that's how I looked at it with our guys. Whether I agree or disagree, that's irrelevant. If we get in chase mode too many times, we're opening ourselves up. So we're going to really focus on not being in chase mode this week and improving that aspect. In all the details of special teams, we've got to improve on. The first kickoff, we go down and pin them inside 25. Unfortunately, we didn't have another kickoff until the 4th quarter, and we pinned them inside the 25. The third kickoff was out of bounds, so there was an improvement there. You could see it by the cover units. Punt coverage was better. No massive punt returns were given up, we covered pretty well. We put them inside the 15 a few times, that was a positive same deal with PBR, we got into chase mode. The same thing that happened on kickoff return was the same thing that happened on punt return. So both of our return units, penalties were chase mode penalties, which we got to coach better. We met about that today as a team to not be in chase mode. Whether we hit somebody or not, it just looks bad; that’s causing flags, so we've got to clean that up. Other than that, we actually had two positive punt returns in the game, which we haven't had positive punt returns for a while. We had two positive returns, but they just got negated, which was bad. We need to make sure we don't field punts inside our. When you have young guys play, they're going to learn. So some of it's like this is the first time they’ve done it, and that's fine, let's not do it again. (WR Zechariah Sample) is a guy for us who's done such a great job growing up, maturing, and gaining trust in this program. I got the utmost trust in him back there, making decisions, along with him being on offense. He's really grown, and he’s one of the most improved players on our team, in my opinion.”

On what new special teams coordinator Jack Nudo brings to the team:
“He’s a really sharp, smart guy; he was the head of the special teams last year, and he's got good energy and good ideas. I'm excited to see what he can do. I think it's a good opportunity for him to also see what he can do. My role is to help wherever I think we need help. My involvement last week is going to continue on the field at a high level, and go from there and try to just keep getting better.”

On how Iowa State differs from their last meeting in the 2024 Big 12 Championship Game:
“They're dinged up like we're dinged up. They played an unbelievable football game last week (against BYU). The score (41-27) was not a reflection of the football game that they played, at all. In a lot of ways I thought they played their best football game of the year last week. Turnovers just kill you, but they played very good football. They easily could have won that game. So I think for our guys, it's understanding we're going to face a team that, one, is going to be angry from what happened last year and this is a game they've had circled for a while and, two, is hungry because they just played a really good football game and still didn't win. And we're on the road. They've lost one home game and they're like us, they're very good at winning at home. Their first loss at home was last week. So, a team that doesn't lose at home, that just lost at home, playing a team they played last year in the championship, that has a really good head coach, that has a returning quarterback, that has the same record as us. It's almost like we're playing ourselves.”

On how the team faired without WR Jordyn Tyson:
“I was very happy with how Malik (McClain) played. I was very happy that (Jalen) Moss made a few plays out there. I was very happy with how Jeff (Sims) played, leading us down the field a little bit on the first drive and then at the end of the game, (he) drove down the field and scored a touchdown. Now, you can be happy with the group and still be unhappy that the best wideout in the country is not playing for you. You can have both. Having Jordyn is an absolute game-changer. That's why he’s going to be a first-round draft pick. Unfortunately for us, we've been down four of our starters, three for the majority (of the season). It’s hard to overcome. There's been moments where we've overcome it and moments where it has bitten us in the butt. We just need to get in a rhythm. It's just difficult because the pieces are changing every week. I was just proud of the guys last week. We were down 24-0. It shouldn't be 24-0, but it was, and all of a sudden we have the ball down eight. Not many teams would continue to fight like that and I think that shows the culture we have.”

On the mental game for K Jesus Gomez after last week’s performance:
“He made four kicks which helped us beat the No. 7 team in the country last week. We were in the castle last game, now we're back in the outhouse. That's part of it. It's never just one guy, it's the whole operation, it's the whole team, it's everything. So, we’ve got to go back to work. I’ve got the utmost confidence in him making kicks.”

On what accounted for failing to score through the first three quarters against Houston:
“I mean, it's a variety of reasons. But, it wasn't like we were just going three-and-out… you can't look at the end result and see it (for what it’s worth). The unfortunate thing is that for some reason, we're still not getting it done, scoring points, even when we're having success. We had 440 yards of offense and didn't score in the first three quarters. That's just mind blowing and it's just a combination of things. I'm not doing a good enough job getting points on the board. We've got to be better at getting the points, which is the goal of the game.”

On emotions following the loss:
“You don't feel good, that's for sure. But like I told them, if you can't respond, you're going to struggle, regardless of what you do in life. You've got to be able to flush something good or bad, and get back to it. It's way harder to flush something in today's day and age than it used to be. You’ve got to be able to flush it and move on. It goes back to that reality show comparison. You can't get lost in it. How do you get better? You go back to work.”

On physicality at practice given the team’s injuries:
“That's definitely a challenge. We still practiced physically. I thought we had a good week of practice. We just couldn't practice some guys who were completely questionable up until game day. But, those guys who we ended up playing earned the right to play if they felt good enough on game day. We are banged up. That's the nature of (football). Last year, we stayed healthy. This year, we're banged up. That's part of it, it's part of the game. So it's definitely challenging to balance that physicality and also getting the guys on the field that deserve it based on what they've done here.”

On how preparations change with injuries:
“I tell coaches all the time, if you think this guy should play without practicing, we’re devaluing practice. Because he is playing, that's the respect for the player. We think he's that good to do that, but it should affect their ability to play to their optimum level. There's a reason everybody practices, it’s to be able to perform at the highest level. So, it is difficult for guys to play at their highest level when they're not practicing.”

On if special teams’ struggles had any affect on Coach Charlie Ragle’s hiatus:
“I don’t know. It just depends. I mean this is a stressful job. I couldn't tell you the answer to that. That would be a question for him. I know right now it's not the best thing for his health. And it's sad too, it's sad to say because he had so much more value than what people see on a Saturday night. There is a reason why a program on life support turned into having really high expectations, that's what it should have, and he was an absolutely vital piece of that. Whether it was in the community, with our players or managing coaches who didn’t always agree — some thinking we should tackle, some thinking we shouldn’t, some liking our practice structure and some not — his ability to get everybody on the same page and prevent problems from escalating, to keep staff morale high, is something you can’t put into words. He was instrumental in us being 5-3 right now, which is where a lot of teams want to be, and in what we accomplished last year. It’s weird coming into the office without him. That's never been a head coach without him right there next to my office, so that is a little bit different and I think is going to be an adjustment for everybody.”

On thoughts about future coaching speculations:
“I'm trying to win as many games as I can here. My number one focus is our players, our football team, everything about us. That's simple. I am so singularly focused on us winning football games and becoming a better football team this season. That is my singular focus.”

On his communications with (New York Giants RB) Cam Skattebo:
“I called Skatt; he didn’t answer. Then he called me back, but I didn’t have my phone, and after that he went into surgery. We exchanged some conversation this morning. I'm not going to go into that, but it’s a really sad deal. That dude has worked his butt off his entire life to get to where he’s at. It’s a great example that if you treat people well, regardless of how he rehabs or what his future holds, he’s going to be successful because of how he’s treated people and the passion he’s played the game with. 10 or 15 years from now, that dude will have built a brand for himself that’s sustainable. It’s unfortunate what happened to him, but his success in life is still going to be there.”

On if future coaching position talks flatters or distracts from what he is trying to do:
“I find it to be nothing, to be honest. It’s useless. I told our guys today that we live, as I’ve said before, in a reality show where everybody is the main character, or not the character. Last year, we were the sleeping person. And it was a great story. Wow, what a great twist to the show, awesome. This year, it’s “put him on a pedestal,” and “somebody’s going to fail”. Everybody’s doing the same thing. Everybody’s trying to win, but not everybody can win. That’s why college football is chaotic and crazy — because everyone expects every team to go undefeated and win their conference. It’s impossible. It’s a math problem that can’t be solved. So I tell our guys, if you get lost in people making you part of the reality show, this thing is going to be miserable for you as a player — because it’s not all real. What’s real is what’s in our building. I’m so singularly focused on what’s in our building. Nothing out there is real. It’s all about what gets clicks, what sells, and what creates the best reality show, depending on the college football market you’re in. So you better not get lost in the show. You have to be who you are and stay grounded. That was my message to the team, that exact thing I just told you, because I think it’s true. It’s sad, it’s comical, it’s all of it wrapped into one. Just get better today and see what happens tomorrow.”

On why loyalty is still a question in college football:
“Because it goes both ways. People get fired as quickly as they get hired. It’s like how fast can people hate coaches as quickly as they love them? I think part of it is that it’s a volatile world where everybody wants to be first. To be honest, like Ricky Bobby said it best: ‘if you’re not first, you’re last.’ That’s why it’s such a volatile profession. Everybody expects to be first, and if you’re not first, you’re last — and you get fired. So when you are first, you start wondering, “How do I stay first? What do I have to do to stay first?” Because eventually, you’re probably going to be last. That’s just how it works historically over time. The key is how you do not bottom out. I’ve said that from the beginning — the goal is to create sustainability. The goal is to create a standard where your valleys are higher than they’ve ever been. The highs will happen when they happen. The challenge is building a program that, even when you’re at a low point, it is still pretty dang good. When you’re not exceeding or hitting expectations, it’s still pretty dang good. That’s the challenge. That’s why this world is so volatile: everybody’s volatile. It’s not just coaches; it’s fans, it’s everyone. We’re a reality show, right?”

On how the team practices due to injuries:
“It depends on the injury, depends on the player, depends on the position. A guy like (WR) Jordyn (Tyson), you can create an entire plan around him being singled, knowing if he's playing or not is important. Your quarterback, that's pretty important to know if they're playing or not. Defensive backs, can we cover them in man, can we not. Who do we want to blitz, who do we not want to blitz. Can they play these combo coverages, can they not. That's important and those become challenging things, but that's your job as a coach is to be able to manage challenging situations. That's our job to figure it out and we had to figure it out, and we had a really good game. There's a really good opponent on the road, so we got to find a way.”

On if (DB) Myles “Ghost” Rowser was emotional during the targeting play against Utah:
“That was not an emotional penalty at all, his (DB Myles “Ghost” Rowser) targeting was not emotional at all. We challenged it, they disagreed with me. It was absolutely not, he's making a rugby tackle. It wasn't even a head on collision, he was crossing the face of the player and bent over to tackle him while crossing face. Because he bent over to tackle him, the quarterback lowered himself, the crown of the helmet made forcible conduct to their player's head. It really didn't even stop the runner from moving forward. It wasn't the guy who made the tackle on the play. It was just by definition, forceful conduct with the crown of the helmet, which is unfortunate. It was one of the stranger targeting calls I've ever seen, but like I said, I appealed it. I understand why they called it completely, it was just unfortunate for him … there was no mal intent or bad intent there at all by him in any way, shape or form. That was a sideline tackle. Very strange, that was the first one I've seen a targeting call like that in that manner.”

On how (HC) Kenny Dillingham handles injuries during games:
“I think about the best interest of the player. When (QB) Sam (Leavitt) got up in the first quarter, he got up and he's like I'm going back in. I'm like, no, you're not, you're going to the locker room because that's what Sam wanted. Sam was like, no, I'm fine. I got my adrenaline, I'm going back. No, you're going to the locker room, you're gonna go get checked out. We're gonna go get X-rays.  We're gonna go do whatever we can do to make sure that we've done everything we can, not just going up your emotions. Sam's such a competitor. When you have really competitive people, it is our job as a medical team to make sure that they're playing when it's safe.”

On how people may view the losses of the team without (QB) Sam Leavitt and (WR) Jordyn Tyson:
“I don't really care. Like I said, I'm not going to get lost in the reality show. I'm going to stay singularly focused on the guys that are going to play in games and how do we play our best football game on the road and be our very best. I don't look at all that stuff, it's very hard for me to answer some of those questions because I don’t. I have somebody who’s job is to tell me very important information that's out there, if there is something out there, so I don't have to look at it. That's the key for me because I do have to have a footprint or a heartbeat on what's happening so I can coach our players because unfortunately, they look at it. I don't go down those rabbit holes, so it's really hard for me to answer anything but, what helps our football team.” 

On how the defensive line played against Houston:
“I thought they played pretty well for the most part. We missed a few stunts and stuff like that where they were locking us out. They did good, you got to give them credit too. They were locking our ends out a few times when we should have crossed face, but that's just the name of football. I thought they played pretty well. The direct running back runs, we defended well for about almost three yards a carry, which is good run defense. They were dedicated to plus one quarterback runs, about 18, call it 19, if you want direct quarterback runs in the football game. He went for over 100 yards and that was where we as a staff, myself, have to do a better job when teams are just going to run quarterback direct runs. How are we going to balance that out and to gain a hat in the fit. But I thought our players on defense did a really good job in our D-line, stopping traditional runs. It's just those plus one runs when you're a single on defense, everybody knows the math problem. If we're not winning an extra human being, then you're short a person. If you're tying too much or even if you're winning by just a little bit, that's not enough to gain the hat. We just got to do a better job as a staff in those settings.”