In college football, few coaches have risen through the ranks as quickly as Kenny Dillingham. And on Saturday, the Arizona State head coach revealed the heart behind the rise. Fighting back tears on camera, the 35-year-old paused mid-sentence as he spoke about how deeply the Sun Devils and the school mean to him.

Speaking to the media, Dillingham said, “I love this place…” before immediately pausing as he broke down in tears. After several long seconds of silence, he finally gathered himself and closed with a simple, heartfelt line: “It’s a special place to me.” And that raw moment drew ASU alum Phil Mickelson‘s attention.

“He is the best and has brought an amazing energy to ASU football and athletics!” Mickelson wrote in response to the video shown below. And that response wasn’t random. 

Both Mickelson and Dillingham are Arizona State alumni whose identities are closely tied to the program.

Mickelson starred at ASU from 1988 to 1992 on a golf scholarship, graduating with a degree in psychology. During that stretch, he became the face of the Sun Devils’ golf program, winning three NCAA individual championships, earning three Haskins Awards as the nation’s top collegiate golfer, tying Ben Crenshaw for the most in history, and helping lead ASU to a national team championship in 1990.

Mickelson starred at ASU from 1988 to 1992, becoming the face of the school’s golf program while winning three NCAA individual titles and helping deliver a national championship. Dillingham, a Phoenix native and ASU graduate (2012).

Dillingham is a Phoenix native who graduated from ASU in 2012. He has worked his way up from the Arizona high school football circuit to an assistant role with the Sun Devils (2014) before returning as head coach in 2023. That deep-rooted connection has translated into where he is today, as one of the best. And in three years of being with the team, Dillingham has a 22-16 record at Arizona State.

So when Mickelson publicly praised Dillingham after the clip surfaced, it read less like celebrity commentary and more like alumni endorsement. It’s all about one Sun Devil recognizing another for restoring pride and energy to a place they both have shared. Furthermore, it’s not even the first time that the six-time major winner gave a shoutout to Dillingham, though.

Back in December, SuperWest Sports tweeted that ASU has third-best average reported attendance in the 2025 regular season. The figure stood at a staggering 102% of the stadium capacity. Dillingham retweeted it writing, “Shout out to the VALLEY! Unreal ! And just the beginning!!!!” It caught Lefty’s attention and he wrote, “And a shout out to you Coach D for bringing life and excitement back to ASU Football!👏👏.”

Interestingly enough, Dillingham’s recent comments come at a time when there are rumors about his tenure here at Arizona State, as he is expected to move to Michigan. Nevertheless, Phil Mickelson’s praise for the coach is not just pure emotion. Dillingham’s impressive resume backs it.

Lefty is very active on X and is always extending his support to fellow athletes. Just a few days ago, he supported Scott Baio and his daughter, Bailey, as she received backlash for her pro event debut at NXXT Women’s Pro Tour at Stoneybrook West Golf Course in Winter Garden, Florida.

As Mickelson appreciates what Dillingham has done, let’s not forget he also tried to take a path similar to him when he was hired to be an assistant for ASU’s golf team in 2015.

Phil Mickelson’s short coaching stint at ASU

Back in 2015, Phil Mickelson was hired by his brother, Tim, to be an “interim assistant” for the golf team at ASU. Tim Mickelson was the head coach back then, and he enlisted Phil to help with the team’s recruiting efforts. It seemed like a fairytale homecoming for Mickelson, who is deeply connected to his roots at ASU and had done so much for golf during his collegiate days.

Unfortunately, that position lasted only three months. “Yes, I recently got fired from that position,” Mickelson said during a news conference at the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open.

When pressed further on the matter, Mickelson explained that the position was never meant to be long-term. The LIV Golf pro stated: “We had developed a plan to where I could call some recruits. We weren’t really going to say anything and hadn’t said anything for a few weeks until one of the players had tweeted it, and it looked like there were some improprieties, which there weren’t, so we had to publicly announce I was assistant coach; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to make the phone calls I had been making,” he told the media.

It was a brief, behind-the-scenes glimpse of Phil trying to give back to the program that launched him, and even though it was a short stint, his presence left a story worth telling.