👋 GOOD MORNING – Happy Tuesday everyone, the Holiday week is in full swing. Hopefully you haven’t procrastinated those last-minute gifts too hard.

Arizona State University sure procrastinated securing one of their brightest spots in Kenny Dillingham, but Sun Devil fans can finally breathe easy that their head coach isn’t going anywhere — for now.

Let’s talk about the good news!

— Alex D’Agostino, PHNX Sports Daily Editor

Kenny Dillingham Contract Extension Made Official

Alright Sun Devil fans, it’s time for a collective exhale. You deserve this.

By now, you probably already know the news. On Saturday, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham made his final decision about his future at ASU — and it was the right one (unless you’re a Michigan fan, I guess).

Dillingham signed a new five-year extension to remain the head coach of the Sun Devils — one that will average $7.5 million per year. But more importantly than his own salary, Dillingham secured raises and additional resources for his staff.

According to ESPN, that salary pool will go up to $11 million, which will rank among the top teams in the Big 12. That was the very type of investment Dillingham was likely looking for when negotiating his own deal.

We knew Dilly was smart, and we also knew he was likely using the Michigan rumors to try and secure a larger investment from ASU. There was a tense period where it felt like that investment might not have occurred, but the story ultimately concludes in the happiest way possible for Sun Devil Fans.

And according to Dillingham, Michigan never actually offered him the job.

“Michigan’s an unbelievable job with unlimited resources, with people who will do whatever they can to make it successful, who want to see it succeed,” Dillingham said. “Somebody’s going to get an unbelievable opportunity … to take over one of the best programs in the country, with one of the best rosters in the country.”

Ultimately, Dillingham is staying in the same place he never wanted to leave to begin with. This deal simply allows him to take better care of his staff and continue to act in the best interest of the program itself.

ASU fans have had legitimate gripes in the past about president Michael Crow’s lack of prioritization for athletics, but this was a no-brainer of a decision. Not only in terms of overall school revenue, the football program’s meteoric rise to success has put Arizona State in the national spotlight — even more so than being back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back…to-back innovation champions, I guess.

The point is, ASU football has something very few programs have for long in this new-age college football environment: stability. That is not something to take for granted, and it’s exactly what Sun Devil football needed.

My Take: This is objectively a good thing for the state of Arizona and its college football programs. Even (the reasonable) Wildcat fans would likely agree, it’s better when both programs are healthy and competing for meaningful Territorial Cups.

But even outside of the realm of football in Arizona, it’s just a positive storyline in the college football space — one we rarely see in this day and age.

With the rise of NIL, the prevalence of the transfer portal and regular coaching turnover, it’s nice to see Dillingham setting a standard in a different way — a standard of integrity that brings more meaning to the idea of home-grown heroes.

It might not be an easy road for the Sun Devils forever. Certainly, 2025 was an example of a relatively disappointing season, despite the 8-4 record. But seriously, isn’t the very fact that fans were disappointed by a solid, bowl-game season a testament to the massive turnaround Dillingham has engineered?

Dilly is young, energetic, and a positive figure in both the community and college football space. It’s hard not to root for him, even if you root for a different program.

Quick Hits

Ouch: While Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon did not get into specific details, it’s pretty easy to read between the lines. CB Garrett Williams (Achilles) and DL Walter Nolen III (knee) will go on Injured Reserve, ending their seasons. Both players suffered ominous-looking non-contact injuries in Sunday’s brutal, injury-riddled loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

I don’t want to speculate on specifics for Nolen, severity or anything of the like, but it seems as if there may be a lengthy rehab in the cards for both of these high-impact players. Ian Rapoport reported earlier than it is most likely a torn Achilles for Williams. Just brutal news in a truly sickening 2025 season for the Cardinals.

Let Arizona cook, man: No. 1 Arizona basketball delivered again, with a 107-71 win over Bethune-Cookman to improve to 12-0. Brayden Burries led the scoring with 20 points on 6-for-10 shooting.

The Arizona women’s squad fell agonizingly short of a thrilling comeback victory over Utah yesterday, losing 63-62 at home after trailing 39-23 at halftime. Mickayla Perdue led the scoring effort with 16 points for the Wildcats, who fall to 9-3.

Can we be done with California?: The Suns get yet another game against a California squad, facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at Mortgage Matchup Center. It’s been a rough stretch for Phoenix, who are likely looking for a bounce-back game at 15-13.

Meanwhile, Jalen Green is still progressing with his hamstring strain. The Suns will re-evaluate him (yes, again) in two-to-three weeks.