Arizona State is 5-1 during the 2024 college football season after a massive upset win over Utah on Friday night. Kenny Dillingham hopes that people who bet on the Sun Devils will give some of their winnings back to the program through its NIL collective.
The 34-year-old head coach made a brilliant and unusual plea to his fanbase after the school’s biggest win in recent history.
Although money has always played an integral role in college football, it is more important in the modern era of Name, Image and Likeness than ever before. Recruiting is crucial to success. Financial opportunity is crucial to recruiting. A school that can offer more money to a high school player has a better chance of landing a commitment from said player.
Arizona State is not wealthy in the NIL space. The Sun Devils are not broke, but they don’t have a lot of money in the bank when compared to other college football programs around the country.
Kenny Dillingham has an idea for how to close that gap.
Sportsbooks expected his team to win 4.5 games in 2024. Arizona State’s projected win total was set at Over/Under 4.5 prior to the season. It exceeded that total on Friday.
Anyone who bet on the Sun Devils to win at least five games did not have to wait very long to cash their wagers. They got paid after just six weeks.
Dillingham knows that a large portion of his fanbase made some money with the victory over the Utes. He hopes they will give some (or all) of their winnings to the NIL collective.
.@KennyDillingham with a message to those who bet the over on 4.5 wins for ASU (now 5-1) before the season started. pic.twitter.com/oIDXmDjXvi
— Jordan Hamm (@JordyHamm) October 12, 2024
This is a new one! We have not seen this before.
A college football coach asked his fans to use the money they won from betting on Arizona State to help Arizona State pay its players in the future. Try to explain that to someone who attended the first-ever college football game in 1869!