If former Nebraska football interim head coach is going to get a permanent head coaching job, it won’t be at the school that was thought to have the most interest in hiring him for that position. One has to wonder if that might actually be good news for Husker fans who are hoping that he’ll stick around and be a part of Matt Rhule’s staff.
On Saturday evening, Ross Dellenger announced on Twitter that Arizona State is zeroing in on their next head coach in Oregon’s offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham. Dellenger said that while things are totally done, the deal is being finalized and it does appear the Sun Devils have their replacement for Herm Edwards.
Perhaps the most interesting part of Dellenger’s report is that he claimed that Dillingham has long been the top target for ASU. There was a time earlier this year when the interim Nebraska football head coach was thought to be getting a ton of interest from Arizona State.
Of course, at the time, there was some speculation that the report was mostly an attempt by certain parties to add a bit of pressure to Nebraska AD Trev Alberts and his decision-making. The idea was that if the Huskers thought another school might come calling. Alberts might decide that he needed to hand over the reins permanently to the Nebraska football program.
Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham has emerged as the leading candidate to be Arizona State's next head coach, sources tell @SINow. Deal being finalized.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 27, 2022
Dillingham, a 32-year-old who is an alum of ASU, was long-expected to be the Sun Devils’ top choice.
As for how this could be good news for Husker fans? It’s not hard to dry a line from A to B. If one of the only spots that was talked about as wanting Joseph as the head coach has gone in a different direction, a Huskers assistant position might appear more attractive.
There are of course, other jobs open though the coaching carousel spun up and is ending rather quickly. The Colorado job appears to be filled unless Deion Sanders turns it down. There are still at least a few landing spots open, including South Florida.
One has to wonder if Mickey would really see taking over a program that is as moribund as they come in the Bulls rather than sticking as a high-ranking assistant with the Nebraska football team.