Arizona State Football head coach Kenny Dillingham did more with less in 2024 than any other college coach and still doesn’t get the respect he deserves.
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The Sun Devils coach, like his team, is constantly overlooked and discredited for their unbelievable season. They were just overlooked again for another prestigious honor.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was awarded the American Heart Association’s Paul “Bear” Bryant College Football Coach of the Year over Dillingham on Wednesday.
We are honored to award Coach Freeman this year’s Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Coach of the Year Award, recognizing his exemplary efforts both on and off the field,” said American Heart Association chief executive officer Nancy Brown via press release. “This signature award honors the legacy of Coach Bryant, by acknowledging his same high standard of excellence in today’s college football coaches.”
The award marks the third top coach honor Freeman beat out Dillingham for, placing the trophy next to his Dodd Trophy and George Munger College Coach of the Year Award.
Both coaches led their teams to College Football Playoff this season. Dillingham and Arizona State completely rattled the college football landscape, bouncing back from a 3-9 season to win the Big 12 title and earn a bye in the playoffs. The Sun Devils would lose to Texas in a double-overtime thriller in quarterfinals of the CFP, ending the season at 11-3. Dillingham was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
ASU was ranked as the 7th best team in college football in the AP final rankings Tuesday. It’s the first top 10 finish for the Sun Devils this century and matches the team’s highest ranking since 2014.
