Arizona State is coming off one of the best college football seasons in program history but Kenny Dillingham does not want his team to fly too close to the sun. The 34-year-old head coach intentionally tortured his players at the first day of spring practice to avoid a potential Icarus situation in 2025.
They will never listen to one of Queen’s greatest hits the same way every again.
Dillingham led the Sun Devils to the Playoff in his second season at his alma mater. Arizona State won 11 college football games for the first time since 1996 and won the Big 12 championship. Not bad!
Most people in life typically ride a little bit higher in the saddle after a taste of success. I am just as guilty of this as anyone. We, as a society, believe more in ourselves and our ability after we accomplish a difficult task. It is pretty standard psychology.
However, that self-confidence can very quickly turn to arrogance. Dillingham wants to avoid that problem and decided to humble his players through music.
The Sun Devils got spring practice underway on Wednesday. They spent the majority of the day listening to the song ‘We Are The Champions‘ on repeat. Over and over and over again. Nonstop. All afternoon. It was torture!
Sam Leavitt to Jordyn Tyson with “We Are The Champions” blasting in the background.
— Anthony Totri (@Anthony_Totri) March 25, 2025
A scene so beautiful it could make a grown man cry. pic.twitter.com/TlobtxyopU
Kenny Dillingham wants his players to become numb to the praise.
I want it to become monotonous, like who gives a crap?! You’re going to be told so many good things forever, it better become monotonous to you that it’s irrelevant. Nobody cares. We’re just trying to make last year irrelevant because nobody cares anymore. So we’re going to do things and play things that make last year irrelevant.
We talked to our guys. We’re going to handle success fine. How are we going to handle this year when we get punched in the face?
— Kenny Dillingham
The strategy worked! Starting quarterback Sam Leavitt never wants to hear Queen’s iconic victory song ever again. (Until it is earned.)
I can’t speak for anyone else but it was annoying me! I don’t care about last year’s championship, obviously it was fun for the moment, but I don’t wanna hear that no more. I’m gonna go tell them to turn it off because we’re not no champions anymore, it’s a new season. We’ve got more to prove.
— Sam Leavitt
Arizona State will begin the 2025 college football season on Aug. 30. Should the Sun Devils replicate their success from a year ago, I’m sure Leavitt and Dillingham would not mind hearing the song they now loathe in January as red and gold confetti falls from the sky at the national championship. In the present, the players are sick and tired of Queen. The reverse psychological torture was effective.