Kenny Dillingham has a tough rebuild awaiting him as Arizona State prepares for the 2026 season. The Sun Devils started their spring practice with the same rigor that the team has been playing under Dillingham. However, the head coach wasn’t impressed with what he saw in the latest practice.

“I don’t know if I watched today, and I said, ‘Man, this group just loves, loves contact. I didn’t watch today and say, ‘Man, they don’t like to hit,’” said Dillingham during the post-spring practice interview. “But I don’t know if I watched today and was like, ‘Holy cow, that is a violent team.’ If we want to be a team that’s violent and physical, we’ve got to be able to see it in practice.”

Arizona State kicked off its 2026 spring practice on March 17. Currently, the Sun Devils are in Week 2 of their spring sessions, with a spring game scheduled for next month. The practices are particularly critical for the head coach because of the open competition across nearly every position group. While the QB dilemma dominates the headlines, Arizona State also has rising stars looking to solidify starting roles at wide receiver and on defense.

Dillingham did not say that the Sun Devils players are soft; they are willing to hit and engage. But at the same time, he didn’t see that elite, aggressive, “set-the-tone” toughness that defines dominant teams. Ever since Dillingham signed on as head coach at Arizona State in 2023, he has stressed a You vs. You mentality among the players. 

This pushed the Sun Devils squad to their farthest limits. When the pressure hit, for instance, against Texas Tech, it was the young guns who showed up big time, and that was a loud signal that ASU’s recruiting and development pipeline has hit different. With the Sun Devils’ 26-22 win over the Red Raiders last season, Dillingham had set high expectations for his squad. 

In that high-intensity face-off, Sam Leavitt showed exactly why he has been the heartbeat of the program. The 20-year-old redshirt sophomore delivered a performance no one else has managed this season, crushing Texas Tech’s hyped defense in a 26-22 win. He dragged the Sun Devils right back into the Big 12 title and College Football Playoff conversation.

Texas Tech’s pass rush came out swinging, dropping Leavitt three times early, but he flipped the script. Instead of backing down, he fired back with deep strikes. Through this game, Dillingham witnessed Leavitt’s violence, standing fearless under pressure and absorbing hits. Instead of folding after early sacks, he responded by pushing the ball deep and using his legs to fight for extra yards.

Dillingham was also blessed with an aggressive defense. Under defensive coordinator Brian Ward, the Sun Devils improved their blitzing from 22% in 2024 to 35% by the end of October last year. It reflected a shift toward a more aggressive identity. Now, we know where Dillingham is coming from when he said he was not impressed by the aggression they showed in spring practice. 

There are already too many things on his plate. Dillingham walks into 2026 with a big burden on his shoulders, a quarterback dilemma after Leavitt changed his base to Baton Rouge. 

Kenny Dillingham has yet to find a solution to the quarterback dilemma

The quarterback dilemma is so crucial that it will decide how the 2026 season turns out for Dillingham and the Sun Devils. Clips started doing rounds from the Sun Devils camp with the quarterback room working with offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo. All four quarterbacks, Cam Dyer, Cutter Boley, Mikey Keene, and Jake Fette, are spotted taking turns. But the latest updates confirm that the confusion prevails between Boley and Keene. 

Keene initially took the lead, being calm and having command of how to run an offense. Coaches love the control he brings, the kind you expect from a seasoned quarterback. But Boley shook things up. Dillingham’s quarterback option brought the same talent to the practice field that is seen on his tape. He pushed the deep balls and showcased natural arm strength to stand out. 

While the lack of violent attacks in the spring practice might be nudging Dillingham, he is now running a race against time. He will have to make the QB1 decision at the earliest. Sure, the Sun Devils are loaded with elite playmakers, especially at wide receiver and running back. But none of it matters without a starting quarterback. In case Kenny Dillingham drags out the quarterback battle, don’t be surprised if the season starts in second gear.