Arizona State football coach after BYU win: 'Our team is underpaid'
Kenny Dillingham does not beat around the bush.
Arizona State's 34-year-old football coach has advocated for more NIL money and sponsorship deals for his players all season. He knows in order to compete in the modern college football landscape his players need to get paid.
After the Sun Devils' thrilling 28-23 victory over BYU on Saturday — a win that put his team on the brink of an improbable berth in the Big 12 championship game — Dillingham reiterated that message.
"I wore this shirt today, right? For the Sun Angel Collective, for a purpose. If you had fun watching [Cam Skattebo] play and make those plays, it was there all night ... because it's a different day and age in college football," Dillingham said in the postgame press conference.
"And if that was something that we want to continue to do, then what's that saying? Pay the man his money, right? Isn't that a saying? Pay the man his money. Pay these guys what they deserve to be paid because right now our team is underpaid. We're doing more with guys who just got it out the mud, but eventually you should get what you deserve. Our guys deserve more and that's why I wore this."
Skattebo, Arizona State's do-everything running back, was masterful against BYU. He dominated the first half, rushing for 96 yards and scoring three touchdowns to stake the Sun Devils to a 21-3 lead. He finished with 28 carries for 147 yards, and is second in the nation in all-purpose yards per game with 167.
Leavitt, Tyson Will Command Big Money
Skattebo will likely be on an NFL roster next season, but quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson have at least two more years of college eligibility. And Dillingham knows both Leavitt and Tyson will need to get paid to stay in Tempe.
Leavitt, a redshirt freshman, has emerged as one of the best young quarterbacks in the country. His NIL value has skyrocketed this season and On3 now lists him among the top 60 NIL earners in college football with a valuation over $600,000.
Tyson, a sophomore, has arguably been the best receiver in the Big 12 this season. In eight conference games he has 55 receptions for 782 yards and 8 touchdowns. BYU's defense tried to neutralize him as a deep threat and he still caught 9 passes for 125 yards. Last week he torched Kansas State's secondary for 12 catches, 176 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Dillingham knows football programs with deep pockets will come after his best players in the offseason. Look no further than what happened to former Pac-12 foe Washington State last year. The Cougars' quarterback, Cam Ward, had a huge year, then jumped into the transfer portal to take advantage of his value. He now has an NIL valuation of more than $2 million with Miami.
"The fact that that dude [Leavitt] has three years left, every company in the state should be calling him for an NIL deal," Dillingham said earlier this season. "People should be throwing cars at him, they should be throwing condos at him, they should be throwing whatever they can throw at him to be excited about the fact that you have an NFL-level player in your state in the flagship school, in the town, for three more years."
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.