Dillingham gives players a break to reset for the final stretch of 2025

Following Arizona State’s 24-19 road victory over Iowa State last Saturday, head coach Kenny Dillingham announced he was giving the team Week 11 off as the program hit its second and final bye week of the campaign. 

This decision comes after a wake of injuries and grueling contests. Over the Sun Devils’ most recent four-game stretch, they finished 2-2 while establishing a pattern of losing then winning the following week. This stretch saw a flurry of marquee players going down, including sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, who went down with a season-ending ankle injury against Houston, and junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who hasn’t played since ASU defeated No.9 Texas Tech. 

 “A week off from football, they’re still coming in, lifting and running and getting rehab and stuff like that this week,” Dillingham said Monday. “I just think getting away from the game, even similar to last year before the Peach Bowl, I gave them a week off, which most people don’t do. I just feel like sometimes you need to get away. The hardest thing to do sometimes is to let go.”

Leavitt’s season-ending injury leaves him in an interesting predicament; he’s eligible to throw his name in the 2026 NFL Draft, and with no clear sign of the future decision he’ll make, Dillingham and ASU aren’t in any rush to get an answer. 

“I’ll probably give a couple of weeks and let him get through this,” Dillingham said when he spoke with Leavitt. “We’re not in a rush. I want him to make the best decision for himself, whether to go pro or not.”

A player who could also be throwing his name in the NFL draft hat is junior cornerback Keith Abney II. According to Tankathon, he’s the No.63 player off the board, making him a late second-round pick. For Dillingham Abney’s hype as a prospect comes as no surprise, but his growth has been exponential. 

“I don’t know if he’s overlooked, he’s on all this list and we’re talking about him every week, and he’s consistent,” Dillingham said. “You talk about consistently performing; he’s consistently preparing. I think he’s found a system for what it takes to be successful; he’s in a rhythm for what it takes. 

“It was super cool to see this kid, who we’re his biggest offer coming out of high school, and he commits two weeks (After Dillingham became ASU’s head coach). We got him here, he’s ranked nothing, and all of a sudden, he’s a third year and he’s on draft boards and he’s gonna be able to decide on if he wants to go or come back.” 

The Sun Devils haven’t had a favorable road through 10 weeks either. Dillingham is the only FBS head coach to play eight teams with winning records to this point in the year, Texas State being the sole exception. 

The teams ASU has lined up against have played a variety of styles. Recently, however, many teams have used designed quarterback runs. Utah’s Devon Dampier ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns; Red Raiders signal caller Will Hammond had 15 carries, and Houston’s Connor Weigman put up 21 rushes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. 

“You look at Utah right now, and the triple option premise that they have, winning a lot of games and scoring a lot of points, you look at Vanderbilt right now with that style of play. Houston, when they beat us,” Dillingham said on quarterback runs. “There are so many different ways to win in college football. I think you gotta figure out your own team and where you fit in that … There are strengths and weaknesses to every choice too. 

“I think the best guys steal a lot of stuff; they’re not scared to steal a lot of stuff. I think if you come up with everything in your offense by yourself, you probably won’t be very good. I think the best coaches are willing to steal things and take things from other people. And then only take things that fit what you do, not just because it was cool to watch take something, because it solves a need or answers a problem, or answers a question.” 

Dillingham noted the chess match that is taking bits and pieces from other programs; no single coach is perfect, whether it involves game plans on offense, defense in between, or coaching that goes beyond the gridiron. 

“I think everything that you’re looking for, there’s someone who does it better than most,” Dillingham said. “I think it’s finding out who does those things the best and studying those guys, because nobody is a master at all.” 

In terms of what Dillingham is proud of as a coach, it is the intensity and resolve his team showed over its grueling four-game stretch. The Sun Devils not only faced physically demanding, high-level conference opponents, but also did so while jumping in and out of the AP top 25 and losing two of their most highly touted players. 

“I love our resilience, I love the resilience of these guys to bounce back and fight back, and when the glass is empty, we fill it back up,” Dillingham praised. “ Hopefully, we don’t empty it again; we’re good at doing both. I love the resilience of this team. I love how they care about each other and the way we compete for one another. I think it shows.” 

Over the bye week, Dillingham will also be spending some time away from the game, although he’ll have some Monday meetings to attend to. Regardless, the back half of the week will be spent recruiting around Phoenix, and over the weekend, he might even attend ASU Hockey’s series against Colorado College, that is, if his 3-year-old son wants to go. 

“I thought it was 5:15 a.m., but it was 4:15,” Dillingham laughed. “I got into the office way too early. (Tuesday’s) A lot of opponent prep and self-scout for West Virginia. Thursday, I’ll be locally recruiting. Friday, I’ll be locally recruiting. Then, on Sunday, we’ll be back early in the morning and start our game week for West Virginia.”

Although the Mountaineers would’ve been an opponent, ASU fans look forward to playing as they sit at just 3-6 and 1-5 in Big 12 play. They defeated then-No. 22 Houston 45-38 on the road last Saturday.

Fortunately, the Sun Devils will have an entire week of additional prep time, and the players will practice a day ahead of schedule to ensure they’re properly prepared. 

“We got a really good West Virginia team that just beat Houston and had their best offensive performance,” Dillingham said. “So we gotta be able to get an extra day to get ready for them.” 

In terms of injury updates, Dillingham didn’t clear any players but noted senior defensive lineman Prince Dorbah and junior linebacker Tate Romney are likely to be back for the West Virginia matchup. As for Tyson and senior safety Xavion Alford, their status is up in the air but trending closer to a Week 13 return against Colorado. Lastly, he mentioned junior running back Kyson Brown, who hasn’t played since Sept. 26 versus TCU and is unlikely to return for the remainder of the season, although Dillingham didn’t completely close that door.