(Tempe, AZ) The Sun Devil Football coaching staff that Kenny Dillingham has assembled in his first year in Tempe has received an incredible recognition.
Throughout the offseason, FootballScoop.com has been counting down the most impressive staffs of head coaches who are in their first season. This week the publication revealed that Arizona State was top on the list – ahead of several fellow Power 5 schools – including Wisconsin, Auburn, Nebraska, and Colorado. Kenny Dillingham has surrounded himself with talented and diverse individuals and the nation is taking notice, leading Sun Devil Football to earn the distinction of best new coaching staff.
FOOTBALLSCOOP’S MOST IMPRESSIVE NEW STAFF’S IN 2023
No. 1 Arizona State
No. 2 Wisconsin
No. 3 Auburn
No. 4 Nebraska
No. 5 Purdue
No. 6 Colorado
No. 7 USF
No. 8 Liberty
No. 9 Western Michigan
No. 10 Charlotte
MEET THE STAFF
Kenny Dillingham, Head Coach (@KennyDillingham)
Arizona State University ushered in a new era of Sun Devil Football with alumnus Kenny Dillingham as the 26th head coach of the program, as introduced by Vice President of University Athletics Ray Anderson and University President Dr. Michael Crow on Nov. 27.
A Valley native raised in Scottsdale and a 2013 graduate of Arizona State (Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies/Business and Communication), Dillingham returns home heralded as one of the bright and most innovative offensive minds in college football and one of the most promising young coordinators in the FBS. It marks the first time in Sun Devil Football’s modern era that a graduate has been named the head coach.
Dillingham returns to Tempe after building his resume with a track record of impressive tenures at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State and most recently as the offensive coordinator at the University of Oregon. At Oregon, he is a nominee for the 2022 Broyles Award, presented annually to the top assistant coach in college football.
Charlie Ragle, Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator (@RagleCharlie)
Dillingham launched the opening salvo in assembling his initial coaching staff, announcing Charlie Ragle as the program’s Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator in addition to being an assistant on the defensive side of the ball. Ragle – no stranger to football in the state of Arizona – spent over a decade in the high school ranks early in his career and five seasons at the University of Arizona to start his collegiate coaching career. Ragle would then spend five seasons at Cal and most recently served as the head coach at Idaho State in the FCS this past season. Ragle was the head coach at Idaho State last season after spending a decade as a special teams coordinator in the Pac-12.
Beau Baldwin, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks (@CoachBBaldwin)
Dillingham continued to build his talented staff as he has brought in one prominent and experienced offensive minds on the West Coast over the past several decades, naming Beau Baldwin as the team’s offensive coordinator. Baldwin brings a championship pedigree to the program, having won the 2010 National Championship as the head coach at Eastern Washington in the Football Championship Subdivision. He spent nine seasons at the helm of the EWU program – compiling an exceptional 85-32 record with three trips to the FCS semifinals in addition to his national title. Baldwin began his head coaching career at Central Washington in 2007 and most recently spent the last three seasons leading Cal Poly. He also brings experience as a Power Five coordinator, having served as the offensive coordinator for Cal from 2017-19.
Brian Ward, Defensive Coordinator (@BWardDCoord)
Sun Devil Football head coach Kenny Dillingham didn’t need to leave the conference to greatly supplement his inaugural staff, welcoming Washington State defensive coordinator Brian Ward to assume the same role at Arizona State. Ward – a Glendale, Ariz. native – led one of the elite defenses in the Pac-12 this past season, as the Cougars were third in the league and 33rd in the FBS in allowing just 22.4 points per game – tied for the sixth-best total in program history and lowest since a 19.7 mark in 2003. That tally seems improbable for a program that hadn’t finished in the Top 40 in the category for nearly two decades and 90th or worse in six seasons since 2009. Washington State’s three defensive touchdowns were 10th in the FBS and the .775 red zone conversion defense was 23rd in the country. The team was also 35th in the nation in allowing just 127.4 rushing yards per game. The defense finished in the top-three in the league in third down conversion percentage allowed (.371), first downs allowed (239), tackles for loss per game (6.2), and turnovers gained (21).
Ra’Shaad Samples, Wide Receivers/Passing Game Coordinator (@RashaadSamples)
Dillingham added one the fastest-rising coach stars at any level to his staff, welcoming the NFL’s youngest position coach Ra’Shaad Samples as ASU’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. Samples was the running backs coach for the Los Angeles Rams this season as the NFL’s youngest position coach at just 27 years old. Prior to this season with the Rams, Samples spent three seasons at SMU where he rose from an offensive assistant in 2019 to the assistant head coach and running backs coach by 2021.
At SMU, Samples developed a reputation as one of the nation’s elite recruiters. The Mustangs’ 2021 recruiting class was the highest-ranked in program history and features the highest signee for SMU. It boasted the highest average recruiting rating in the American Athletic Conference and was better than 16 Power 5 programs. Samples finished as the No. 1 recruiter in the conference (247Sports), after the December Signing Day period, landing him as a top-30 recruiter in the country among the Power 5 and Group of 5. Among Group of 5 schools, Samples was the nation’s top recruiter. During the 2020 season, Samples was listed among 247Sports’ 30-Under-30 list and was on Dave Campbell’s 40-Under-40 list in 2021.
Shaun Aguano, Running Backs (@aguanos)
Shaun Aguano, one of the most decorated coaches in Arizona High School football history, joined the Sun Devil football program as running backs coach in January 2019. One of Dillingham’s immediate priorities was maintaining Aguano on staff, which was accomplished by keeping him on as the running backs coach. During Aguano’s tenure, he has been an integral part of developing some of the best running backs in program history. He also served as the interim head coach for the final nine games of the season, leading the Sun Devils to a victory over No. 21 Washington.
During the 2022 season, X Valladay made an immediate impact as a transfer from Wyoming, one of only three Pac-12 running backs to rush for more than 1,000 yards. Rachaad White was selected with the 91st overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after an extremely successful career at ASU. White was a Second Team Pac-12 All-Conference selection and earned Frank Kush Team MVP honors after compiling nearly 1,500 all-purpose yards in 12 games. In Aguano’s first season tutoring the Sun Devil running backs, Eno Benjamin rushed for 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019 on his way to earning First Team Pac-12 All-Conference honors for the second consecutive season. In reaching the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the second-straight year, he became the first Sun Devil running back since Freddie Williams (1974-75) to accomplish the feat in consecutive years. Benjamin, who was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Saga Tuitele, Offensive Line (@CoachTuitele)
Dillingham went with another veteran name for his first coaching staff with the addition of Fresno State’s Saga Tuitele as ASU’s offensive line coach. Tuitele has seen immense success in run-first programs such as Army, New Mexico and Cal Poly over the course of his career. Fresno State went 9-4 this season, winning the Mountain West Championship and advancing to the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl in the process. Offensive lineman Bula Schmidt was a second-team All-MWC selection while Mose Vavao and Jacob Spomer earned honorable mention honors. The Bulldogs had the second-highest graded run-blocking unit in the Mountain West last season according to Pro Football Focus and fourth among all Group of Five programs. Tuitele joined the Bulldogs’ coaching staff as offensive line coach and run game coordinator after having previously coached in that role at Army since 2020. Prior to his time at Army, Tuitele was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at The University of New Mexico.
A.J. Cooper, Linebackers/Run Game Coordinator (@CoachCoop84)
Sun Devil Football welcomed home a Valley native and standout defensive coach A.J. Cooper, who is coaching the linebackers and serving as the run game coordinator on Dillingham’s inaugural staff. Cooper spent the last three seasons at Washington State, most recently as the defensive run game coordinator while also working with the edges. Cooper coached the edges in 2020 and took on additional duties as defensive line coach in 2021. Under Cooper’s watch, Washington State transformed into one of the more impressive defenses in the Pac-12 with some of the most productive edge defenders and outside linebackers in the league under his guidance. In three seasons with the Cougars, the WSU edge defenders have recorded 285 quarterback pressures – third in the Pac-12 and just two behind Utah – which has played more games than WSU since 2020. WSU’s 250 pressures in the last two seasons without the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season are second in the Pac-12 and 11th in the FBS. The 2022 season saw linebacker Daiyan Henley become the first Cougar linebacker to earn first-team honors since Will Derting in 2003. Cooper guided edge defenders Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson to their second and third – respectively – all-conference honors.
Dillingham welcomed a dynamic recruiter and up-and-coming coaching talent with the addition of Bryan Carrington as the program’s cornerbacks coach. Carrington spent last season as an offensive analyst and recruiting coordinator at TCU, which qualified for the College Football Playoff. In his role as recruiting coordinator, the Horned Frogs finished with a Top-25 recruiting class for 2023 according to 247Sports and third-best in the Big 12 behind only soon-to-be-SEC Oklahoma and Texas. He recently landed on On3Sports’ Rising Star Power 5 Assistant Coaches List.
No stranger to the blue-blood programs, Carrington has also spent time in his young career in prominent roles at USC, Texas and Houston. Carrington joined the Horned Frogs after serving as a running back quality control analyst at USC in 2021. He helped mentor Keaontay Ingram into being the Trojans’ leading rusher with 911 yards while earning All-Pac 12 honors. Pro Football Focus ranked Ingram fourth nationally in run grade at 91.4 and 16th in the country in offensive grade at 87.1. Carrington has established himself as one of the elite recruiters in the FBS in his young career. Since 2016, Carrington has signed 11 five-star recruits. Included in that total are Texas running back Bijan Robinson, the nation’s No. 1 recruit at his position in the Class of 2020, and Class of 2019 Maxwell Award winner Bru McCoy. Additionally, Carrington signed 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year Jake Smith.
Vince Amey, Defensive Line (@VinceAmey)
Dillingham continued his theme of local connections with the addition of fellow Arizona State alum and revered defensive coach Vince Amey as the program’s defensive line coach. Amey – a member of the 1996 ASU Rose Bowl roster – returned to Tempe having coached defensive lines at the collegiate and professional level, bringing decades of playing and coaching experience to the table. The Los Angeles native played defensive line at Arizona State from 1994-97, earning All-Conference honors during one of the most successful eras in program history. Amey was a starter at defensive tackle on the 1996 Rose Bowl Team that went 11-1 and finished No. 4 in the country. Following a decade-long professional career, Amey immediately went into coaching and proceeded to rise up the ranks.
Amey comes to Arizona State after spending the past year as the defensive line coach at Idaho State. He worked with Sun Devil Football Assistant Head Coach Charlie Ragle with the Bengals. Production was the immediate result, as four of Amey’s defensive linemen had 38 or more tackles. Five different defensive linemen had at least two sacks, as Amey developed depth and effectively utilized rotations. The Bengals were also a disciplined unit under Amey, finishing Top-15 in the country in fewest penalties and penalty yards. Prior to his stint at Idaho State, Amey was the defensive line coach for the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL in 2020, coaching in a revived version of the league that he played in. It represented his second stop at the professional level, previously serving as the defensive line coach for the San Diego Fleet in 2019.
Jason Mohns, Tight Ends (@CoachMohns)
Sun Devil Football Kenny Dillingham has completed his initial coaching staff with the addition of Valley coaching legend and Arizona State University alumnus Jason Mohns as the program’s tight ends coach. A 2004 ASU graduate, Mohns spent the last 11 seasons at the helm of the Saguaro High School Football program in Scottsadale, Ariz., and 16 years overall with the Sabercats. In 11 seasons as head coach at Saguaro, Mohns compiled a 123-19 record, including a state record six consecutive State Championship tiles (2013-18) and seven state titles overall. Mohns guided Saguaro to its first Open Division state championship in 2021 over Chandler, ending the Wolves’ five-year run as Open champions and advanced to the Open Championship again in 2022. The program won four additional state titles with Mohns on the staff from 2007-11.
Saguaro produced a flurry of NFL talent under Mohns’ guidance in the form of Christian Kirk, Byron Murphy and D.J. Foster and in addition to the state’s highest-rated prospect in history in Kelee Ringo, who is currently a defensive back at the defending national champion Georgia. With Mohns at the helm, Saguaro became a perennial Top-50 nationally ranked high school program in MaxPreps final Xcellent Rankings, finishing as high as 14th in 2021. Mohns was named the AIA Division III Coach of the Year in both 2013 and 2014. He was named the National Football Foundation Arizona Football Coach of the Year in 2015, the News Channel 12 Friday Night Fever Arizona Coach of the Year in 2016, and the Arizona Cardinals High School Football Coach of the Year in 2017.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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