Matt Campbell ‘one of most real people’ in college football, says Arizona State head coach

Kenny Dillingham offers praise, respect for ISU head coach Matt Campbell

Matt Campbell has earned the respect of Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, as the two meet Saturday for the Big 12 title. / Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Kenny Dillingham had the opportunity to go and study at any college football campus in the United States while he was working at Auburn.

Of all them, Dillingham elected to travel to Ames, Iowa and see just what Matt Campbell was doing with Iowa State.

Dillingham leads his Arizona State program into battle with Campbell and the Cyclones this Saturday with the Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line. 

“I had two days to go study and I chose to go visit Iowa State,” Dillingham said. “It was a program I wanted to study because they were overachieving early in his career before it built it up to what it is now, where they are achieving at a high level consistently.

“What I took away was the realness of the culture. Man, he would be over here like joking around with a dude then go up to the front of the room and demand respect. That culture he created is sustainable and a winning formula.”

The 34-year-old Dillingham took over at Arizona State in 2013 following a year-long stint as offensive coordinator at Oregon. He has also made stops at Florida State, Auburn and Memphis after starting his college career with the Sun Devils back in 2014.

“(Campbell’s) passion on the sideline, it’s not fake, it’s real,” Dillingham said. “I learned Xs and Os while (at visiting Iowa State) but I wanted to try and get a vibe for how he created that culture. I think his genuineness is infectious and why he has had success.

He's just a real person, a good person who is real and guys see his passion.

- Kenny Dillingham on Matt Campbell

“He’s just a real person, a good person who is real and guys see his passion and saw his vision because he lives it.”

Arizona State went 3-9 in Dillingham’s first season, improving by seven wins this past year. Campbell won three games his first year leading Iowa State before going 8-5 the following season. 

The Cyclones have experienced just one losing season under Campbell while winning two bowl games. This is the first time in program history they have won 10 games and just the second appearance in the conference title game. 

The first time they played for the league title also came with Campbell as head coach in 2020, as Iowa State would go on to win the Fiesta Bowl, finishing 9-3 and ranked in the Top 10.

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