Former Auburn OC expected to be named head coach at Arizona State

One of College Football’s youngest offensive minds is reportedly getting his chance to lead a Power Five program.

One day after Nebraska announced the hiring of former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule, it appears that another Power Five job has been secured.

Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated has reported that Arizona State is in the process of hiring Oregon offensive coordinator [autotag]Kenny Dillingham[/autotag] as its’ next head coach. The news comes after Oregon’s 38-34 loss to rival Oregon State on Saturday.

Dillingham, 32, is set to become the youngest head coach in the Power Five as he returns to his alma mater. According to Michelle Gardner of the Arizona Republic, Dillingham has been the rumored frontrunner for the job following the program’s dismissal of Herm Edwards on Sept. 17.

Dillingham served as Auburn’s offensive coordinator under [autotag]Gus Malzahn[/autotag] in 2019. The Tigers ranked No. 28 in the nation in scoring that season, posting 33.2 points per game. It was also the first time that he worked with Bo Nix. During Nix’s freshman season in 2019, he threw for 2,542 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for 313 yards and an additional seven touchdowns.

After his lone season at Auburn, Dillingham left for Florida State to serve as offensive coordinator under head coach Mike Norvell, whom he coached under at Memphis from 2016-18.

After a two-year stint in Tallahassee, Dillingham returned to the west coast to coach under first-year head coach, Dan Lanning. In 2022, he reunited with Nix in Oregon. So far in 2022, Nix has passed for 3,062 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for 513 yards and 14 scores.

Now that Nebraska and Arizona State have named their next head coach, is Auburn next? At the last report, Hugh Freeze is expected to be named the next head coach at Auburn, although no formal offer has been extended to anyone.

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