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Deion Sanders Left Classy Message for Kenny Dillingham After ASU's CFP Loss To Texas
Arizona State football's remarkable turnaround during the 2024 season ended with a 39–31 loss to Texas in the Peach Bowl on Wednesday. The team that was predicted to finish last in the Big 12 not only won the conference, but secured a first-round bye in the first-ever 12 team College Football Playoff and went toe to toe with Texas before losing in double overtime.
The loss to Texas was disappointing, especially after the Sun Devils successfully came back in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but does not overshadow Dillingham's accomplishments with the program this season. In just his second season with Arizona State, Dillingham made the Sun Devils one of the nation's top contenders and led them to their first 10+ win season in a decade. Dillingham was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year this season.
Colorado football coach and Dillingham's Big 12 rival Deion Sanders sent a classy message to his Arizona State counterpart after the Sun Devils' loss.
"Kenny Dillingham, you represented all of us from the Big12 well my brother," Sanders wrote on X. "We are proud of u and your team. God bless u all. You’re awesome COTY."
Thank you coach! https://t.co/y0evOzFMAk
— Coach Dillingham (@KennyDillingham) January 1, 2025
Dillingham replied to the message, posting: "Thank you coach!"
Both Dillingham and Sanders have executed two of the most dramatic program transformations in college football over the last two seasons. The two coaches took over teams that won just one game each in 2022, and after two seasons, have brought these schools to the forefront of their new conference. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Dillingham and Sanders, Arizona State and Colorado both made splashes in Year 1 in the Big 12, and are expected to remain contenders going forward.
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Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.