REPORTS: Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham Expected to Become Next Arizona State Head Coach

It appears the Ducks will have to replace their offensive coordinator for the second offseason in a row.

Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham is expected to become the next head coach at Arizona State, as first reported by Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger as well as ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham has emerged as the leading candidate to be Arizona State's next head coach, sources tell @SINow. Deal being finalized.

Dillingham, a 32-year-old who is an alum of ASU, was long-expected to be the Sun Devils’ top choice.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 27, 2022

Sources: Arizona State working to finalize an deal to make Oregon OC Kenny Dillingham the next coach. He’s a graduate with strong ties to the state.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 27, 2022

The reports of Dillingham's pending departure flooded social media less than an hour after the Ducks suffered a heartbreaking collapse to Oregon State in Corvallis in which they were outscored 21-3 in the fourth quarter.

Rumors recently surfaced connecting Dillingham to the ASU vacancy as he is an alumnus of the school, a native of Arizona, and a former offensive assistant under Todd Graham. Dillingham began his coaching career at Chaparral High School in the Scottsdale area.

This will be Dillingham's fifth different school in six years and his first head coaching job at the Division I level. If the deal is finalized, Dillingham will be the youngest head coach in the FBS at 32 years old. He replaces Herm Edwards, who was fired on Sept. 18 and temporarily replaced by running backs coach Shaun Aguano.

READ MORE: Jurrion Dickey Talks Oregon, Plans for Signing

Kenny Dillingham on the field during pregame warmups against the Oregon State Beavers

This comes one year after Joe Moorhead departed from the program to become the Akron head coach. Oregon will look to find its sixth different offensive coordinator in eight years.

The Ducks enjoyed a revamped offense in the first regular season under Dillingham, who was recently named a finalist for the Broyles Award. Oregon averaged nearly 40 points per contest, including eight straight games scoring north of 40 points for the first time since Marcus Mariota's 2014 Heisman season. Oregon has since suffered two losses in its last three games to its bitter rivals.

Dillingham helped Bo Nix produce his best year in college in his second stint with the quarterback, who scored 41 total touchdowns and racked up nearly 3,900 total yards of offense. Nix was widely considered to be in the running for the Heisman Trophy prior to the Ducks' recent troubles.

Kenny Dillingham talks with Ty Thompson on the field during pregame warmups against the Oregon State Beavers :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

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