Kenny Dillingham has too much drive to win the Big 12 Conference Championship, and why wouldn’t he? Even you’d jump out of your chair to get the purse he is due to earn if his team, the Sun Devils, gets the better of Iowa State on Saturday, November 7. Not too bad for a relative newcomer who led his team to a 10-2 record, and, the numbers do the talking for him. Both teams are slated to lock horns at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In his first stint as the head coach, Dillingham has also proved he is pivotal to the Sun Devils accession in college football. Boasting a base salary of $3.95M – notably 13th of 16 coaches in the conference – the American coach has already minted a calm $200,000 two weeks ago when his team downed BYU for the ninth win this season. With the stakes raised, the 34-year-old could pocket another $395,000 if ASU manages to clinch the Big 12 title.

A 30% cap increase to his salary, about $1.185 million, would potentially come into play if his team registers the laudable feat and advances into the first-ever 12-team CFP playoff. Things only start getting crazier from there on. Dillingham will then be privy to north of $1.5M in addition to the bonuses already received. He will also earn a cool 5% increment upon his team’s victory in the CFP last eight and another 5% if they secure a place in the CFP finals.

As per the terms of his contract, if the Sun Devils bag the national championship, the 34-year-old can cash in on another 10% of his salary. While the ASU coach’s contracts lay out a step-by-step incentive checklist, his team’s triumph will go a long way in boosting their morale, especially since the season hasn’t wrapped up yet.

What Dillingham has accomplished with the Sun Devils is nothing short of commendable. When he first joined the team, fans were puzzled about whether he could rejuvenate a program that had been struggling for years, and he fought against all odds. Naturally, the team had to make a special announcement for the American coach before taking on the Cyclones for the Big 12 Championship.

Sun Devils’ coach Kenny Dillingham named Big 12 ‘Coach of the Year’

Naysayers had a tough pill to swallow when the Sun Devils secured a berth in the finals of the Big 12 Conference Championship. After they were projected as the bottom teams in Big 12, No. 15 Arizona State responded with one of the most chucklesome responses in college football this year. And now, they have a shot at making it to the College Football Playoffs.

When American Kenny Dillingham took over as the head coach in 2023, skeptical insights into the team’s future didn’t fade away with just a snap. He took time to empower his team with the best of his expertise and, now, in his second season with the Sun Devils, Dillingham has established himself as one of the feistiest young coaches in college football. Ahead of the Big 12 title game, he was awarded the well-deserved recognition of being named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.

Dillingham capped the regular season with a five-game winning streak, two of which came over the Top 25 teams. With a strong force driving behind the Sun Devils, the showdown is bound to pack a thriller for fans as they clash with the Cyclones on December 7.