Arizona State is projected as having college football's most returning starters ahead of the 2025 season. Coach Kenny Dillingham wants his program to annually lead in an equally important category.
Roster retention. Stability.
It's such a priority for Dillingham, the 35-year-old head coach at his alma mater coming off a breakthrough season that included a Big 12 Championship and corresponding College Football Playoff berth, that he places its importance above the recruiting rankings.
So, how does Dillingham converse with players who might wish to transfer away from the Sun Devils's program?
"To be honest, not a lot. We don't. I mean, we returned almost everybody. Not many people wanted to leave the program," he said during the Big 12 Conference's media days coaching roundtable. "I think if you pour into people, they feel obligated to pour back into you.
"So, I think our program is built on retention. Not acquisition. I don't want to win recruiting rankings. I don't want to win social media. I don't want to be the No.1. team in the recruiting. I want to be No. 1 in retention."
Dillingham said only two players projected into Arizona State's two-deep for the upcoming '25 season even entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. Per 247Sports, ASU added 17 players via the NCAA Transfer Portal to its current roster. The Sun Devils saw 16 players from their program enter the Portal; only four of those players have since landed at a Power 4 Conference program.
Dillingham helped tight end Markeston Douglas switch to Florida State and Kamari Wilson land at Memphis.
"I want our players to know if you come to our school, we are going to take care of you. That's it," said Dillingham, who engineered one of college football's biggest turnarounds when he helped the Sun Devils go from three wins in 2023 to 11 in '24. "So, what conversation do I have? If you come here, I'm going to take care of you. That's it. That's the conversation we have. But, we don't have much movement unless somebody is a senior, junior and wants to start and is maybe second or third on the depth chart. I say, 'Listen, you're not going to start for us. We've got a guy returning. Let me help you, get you to Memphis, where a guy I worked with (Ryan Silverfield) is the head coach.'
"We had two guys in our two-deep leave. Both of them went to go play for people that I consider mentors. Florida State (Mike Norvell) and Memphis (Silverfield). I helped them get there."
In stark contrast to that approach, however, is Texas Tech, a team that is widely expected to challenge for the Big 12 title this fall and a CFP berth. The Red Raiders have been projected to spend somewhere in the range of $50 million on their roster for the upcoming season, which includes 21 additions via the Transfer Portal.
Dillingham doubled-down when asked about Texas Tech being the potential team to beat in the Big 12 after he earlier this spring liked a post on X (formerly Twitter) that touted the Red Raiders as the top team.
"They beat our butt last year and they added a lot of really good players to their football team; I mean, a ton of really good players," Dillingham said. "And then they probably had the best Portal haul of any team in college football, already on a good football team with a good football coach (Joey McGuire) and a fun environment to play at.
"Yeah, people read into things I do, I just tell people the truth. I saw a Tweet I like and I'm like, 'Yeah, they do have the talent to win the league.' And I think anybody who says they don't have the talent to win the league is absolutely delusional. I bet if you ask Coach McGuire, his expectation is to win the league. And they've built a team to win the league. Not to compete. To win it. So it's a great challenge. We get to host them at home this year and they're a phenomenal football team and have added a lot of phenomenal pieces."