A big part of the delay in Arizona State finalizing a contract extension for Kenny Dillingham this past December was a quibble over just how much they could realistically increase resources for the football program right away.
While there was a general agreement between Dillingham, athletics director Graham Rossini, and university president Michael Crow on what Arizona State needs in the long run, Dillingham's camp was pushing for as much now as he could get. The Michigan job helped apply pressure in those negotiations.
In the end, after plenty of hand wringing from the fan base, a deal was done. While specific numbers have not yet been made public on some things, we know that Dillingham's salary was increased in a meaningful way and his salary pool went up from roughly $2 million to $11 million, putting Arizona State near the top of the Big 12.
Not long after that, Dillingham made two significant moves to boost his recruiting operations.
First, he handed a promotion (and an implied raise, though numbers haven't been confirmed) to cornerbacks coach Bryan Carrington. Part of Dillingham's initial staff, Carrington has been one of the Sun Devils' best recruiters, and a key cog in building the #Texas2Tempe pipeline that's brought in a handful of prized players, including incoming 4-star quarterback Jake Fette.
In conjunction with making Carrington happy, Dillingham added DeMetrice Martin as a defensive analyst. Martin, known as "Coach Meat," has long been renowned as one of the top recruiters on the West Coast. A Los Angeles native, Martin was a standout recruiter for a variety of classic Pac 12 programs, most notably UCLA and Oregon.
According to 247 Sports, Martin has secured the commitment of 27 4-star recruits and two 5-stars over the years. He spent the 2024 season at Michigan State, his alma mater, before coming back to UCLA this past season. With a new coaching staff taking over in Westwood, though, Martin was available.
The fact that Arizona State was able to afford someone like Martin in the first place, let alone as part of their off-field staff, is already a massive endorsement of why it was the correct decision to give Dillingham more money. He's spending it on elite additions and retentions to his coaching staff, ensuring the Sun Devils can keep bringing in top talent.