There has been a lot of buzz over the last 24 hours about Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham and the Michigan football job.
Dillingham, who just finished his third season with the Sun Devils, has even been mentioned as an "early favorite" by Michigan insiders.
However, there is some cold water being dumped on the Dillingham to Michigan football momentum as a new report by 247 Sports says that a contract extension between Dillingham and Arizona State is "close" to being done.
BREAKING: Kenny Dillingham and Arizona State are "close" to reaching an agreement on contract amendments that would increase his annual base compensation, two people familiar told @SunDevilSource. Discussions have been ongoing for two weeks. Details:https://t.co/Rly8QsBWm4
— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) December 13, 2025
Chris Karpman, the publisher of the Arizona State 247 Sports site, reports that a new deal would increase his base salary compensation and that discussions have been ongoing for weeks.
What does this mean for Michigan football?
The same insider who said Dillingham was an "early favorite" on Friday night said "nobody knows anything" on Saturday. Things change quickly.
Until there is final news too much can change, so I'm going back to my old standby: Nobody Knows Anything.
— John U. Bacon (@Johnubacon) December 13, 2025
Maybe that's where that shift in thinking comes from. It feels like Kalen DeBoer has always been the No. 1 choice. Yet, it's been unclear if he would leave Alabama or even consider it.
If Dillingham is going to sign an extension with Arizona State, you'd think that would take him off the board. That would leave DeBoer and Jedd Fisch as the top candidates. Jeff Brohm has been mentioned. Jason Eck of New Mexico is another to keep an eye on.
However, it feels like Fisch is the floor. It doesn't feel like this job will get past him. He's already had some success in the Big Ten rebuilding Washington. This job isn't a rebuild, especially if Bryce Underwood and the recruits stay in the fold.
Michigan is closer to a playoff team than rebuilding. Missing out on Dillingham would be a bummer, though. He was/is the choice of many Michigan football fans.