By the end of the week, the hope is that Michigan and Warde Manuel will make a new hire to replace Sherrone Moore. On more than one occasion, Kenny Dillingham has been named a top target, but it seems like his love for Tempe could prevent him from leaving.
Joel Klatt has Michigan eyeing three coaches including a surprising one
However, Dillingham keeps leaving the door open, which has plenty of people talking. So, should he stay at Arizona State and keep leading the Sun Devils, or should he make a life change and take over one of the biggest college football brands out there? If you ask Pete Thamel, it shouldn't be that complicated of a decision for him:
Pete Thamel makes a great point about Kenny Dillingham and his position at ASU.
— Michigan Metal 〽️ (@Metaleka_) December 17, 2025
Kenny has limited resources and watches his players get siphoned by bigger schools.
He developed Sam Leavitt into a possible first-round QB, and now Leavitt is leaving ASU because the school can't… pic.twitter.com/TfuiHu4rkh
Will Kenny Dillingham end up taking the Michigan job and leave Arizona State?
It's easy to agree with Thamel here. No one can argue with the fact that Michigan has the resources that could help Dillingham push for a national title. While Arizona State has been impressive in recent years, the whole Sam Leavitt drama in recent weeks has been telling.
The quarterback is entering the portal and a school is obviously going to have to put top dollar on the table to land him. It will be an amount that Arizona State probably wouldn't be able to come close to matching. We've seen this several times in college football. Just ask Washington State about Cam Ward and John Mateer.
At Michigan, though, Warde Manuel would put someone like Dillingham in the best position possible to succeed and he wouldn't have to worry about other programs poaching his players. Unfortunately, this is always going to be a worry for him at ASU.
Is this something he's considering? We've heard Dillingham praise the Tempe community and how much he loves having his family so close. With that said, if Michigan makes him an attractive offer, could it be enough for him to take a bit of a leap?
That's all in the air. However, several analysts think Dillingham to Ann Arbor would be a home-run hire for the Wolverines. Only time will tell if that happens or not, but it'd be a smart career switch for him, no doubt.