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BREAKING: Arizona State finalizes contract extension with Kenny Dillingham

David Howman

Just yesterday, we provided a deep dive into the intricacies of the contract extensions between Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State, even as fan sentiment began to wane. Now, early this morning, a deal is done.

Per Pete Thamel, who was first on the news, Dillingham's contract goes up to $7.5 million. It remains five years long, as is mandated by state law, but new incentives allow for the deal to effectively become a 10-year contract.

One component we shared as crucial to Dillingham was the resources for his staff. This new contract puts that salary pool at $11 million, which is near the top of the Big 12 in terms of total salary pool resources.

Another concern for Dillingham was the financial resources available for his players as the NIL and revenue sharing world continues to evolve. While such a financial commitment cannot really be put into a coaching contract right now, it also appears that Arizona State made a guarantee that felt satisfactory to Dillingham.

Speculation around the negotiations had intensified this week largely due to reports of interest from Michigan in their newly-vacant head coaching job. Some wondered if Michigan's interest in Dillingham would ramp up if Alabama beat Oklahoma on Friday night, as many guessed Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer was the top target in Ann Arbor.

Well, Alabama won last night to advance to the next round of the College Football Playoff, and now Dillingham has a new contract in place with significantly more resources committed to him. It seems that the top two names associated with the Michigan job are now off the board.

As for Arizona State, this is a watershed moment. It's been a long time since they had to seriously fend off a coach being poached by a blueblood, and they did it successfully. The full contract details will come out over the next few days, but it seems that athletics director Graham Rossini - as well as university president Michael Crow - stepped up to get the job done.