Last year, Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils were the feel-good, Cinderella story of college football.
They scratched and clawed their way to a Big 12 crown and a spot in the first-ever expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff, and pushed the Texas Longhorns to the brink in an instant classic quarterfinal clash.
Now, however, the Sun Devils sit at 8-4 and out of the hunt for a national title, and star quarterback Sam Leavitt appears to be heading toward the transfer portal.
Dillingham opened up honestly about the current state of college football this week, lambasting what the sport has become as teams across the country prepare to see if their best players stick with their programs in 2026.
“We’ve created a mess, point-blank,” he admitted. “The whole industry is a mess. The only thing that’s not a mess is the dollar signs. Those are still pointing up.”
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One of the key reasons why Leavitt seems already one foot out the door is the rising money in the college football landscape. Although Arizona State has a modest NIL program, it can’t compare to the heavy-hitters in the Big 10 and SEC, who are ready to offer the Sun Devil quarterback a premium deal to take over for a year as their starting quarterback.
With Heisman favorite Fernando Mendoza expected to leave following the playoff to enter the NFL draft, the Indiana Hoosiers, along with the LSU Tigers, have been named as favorites to sign the electric passer.
Dillingham and the Sun Devils will travel to El Paso on New Year’s Eve to play the ACC champion Duke Blue Devils in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.