Kenny Dillingham gives update on ASU’s NIL situation

TEMPE, Ariz. — NIL is one of the most important aspects of both recruiting and player retention in this modern landscape of college athletics. The Arizona State administration has been routinely bashed and criticized by fans and alums alike on how they’ve handled NIL. To the public, it seems like Arizona State has continued to lose players because they haven’t been able to make NIL promises like various other programs. There’s some truth to that.

However, that could change soon.

On Monday, Arizona State football head coach Kenny Dillingham explained the current NIL situation at ASU.

Kenny Dillingham hopeful about ASU’s future in the NIL space

“When we (Dillingham and his staff) got here there was really nothing in NIL,” Dillingham said. “There really wasn’t anything done, and there’s been a lot done over the last nine months, 10 months. I think really what’s been done the last 10 months is the educating of people. People don’t know what it is, people don’t know how to do it, people don’t know how the value is, people don’t know anything about it… We’ve had to educate people from ground zero. So I like to say we were two-and-a-half, (or) three years behind… And now people are catching up.”

There’s only so much Dillingham can do in his role, as a lot of NIL actions rely on the administration as well as donor support.

“I think our president’s (Michael Crow) on board, he understands, and he’s just a supporter of it,” Dillingham continued. “I am in hope for what the future holds in that space. Not down the road, but hopefully soon. Like now.”

I think that’s a timeline that Sun Devil fans can get on board with.

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