BOULDER, CO –Colorado footballcoachDeion Sanderswas quick to praiseArizona Statecoach Kenny Dillingham when theSun Devilswere making their unexpected run to a Big 12 title game last season, and after that, as the Sun Devils made a solid showing in a hard-fought College Football Playoffdouble-overtime loss to Texas in the Peach Bowl.
Dillingham has sent accolades back to his counterpart and his top players, too. Whether it is in a press setting or on social media, the two have exchanged pleasantries quite often.
There can be a lot of jealousy in the coaching industry, particularly when you have conference rivals recruiting the same athletes. But in this case, there appears to be mutual respect.
Dillingham's Sun Devils (7-3, 5-2) are here to square off against Sanders' Buffaloes (3-7, 1-6) in Big 12 play at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday at Folsom Field.
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The teams last played in 2023 in Tempe, withColoradoprevailing 27-24 on a field goal with 16 seconds left. That was the only occasion their teams have played.
"Coach Dillingham, love him to life, one of my classmates," Sanders said in his weekly briefing with the Colorado media. "He came in at the same time, and what he's done for their program is unbelievable. I applaud him tremendously. His character, the consistency with what he's asking for his young men, and they got a quarterback down, and he's still fighting through the storms. We were close to being on the same sideline at one point.
"We had a tremendous amount of conversations alluding to that. But he is one of my favorites, so I'm proud and happy for the opportunity to play against his team this week, and it's going to be fun because I've got love for the coach and everything he exudes for their program."
The two may be two decades apart in age, but they have other things in common. Dillingham, 35, was appointed coach at ASU in late November 2022. Sanders, 58, was named the Colorado coach a week later. Rumors of Sanders taking the job in Boulder surfaced long before it happened, and some locals even lobbied for him to be named to replace outgoing ASU coach Herm Edwards because of his high-profile status and the way he could galvanize a fan base.
Both Dillingham and Sanders took over programs in hard times and quickly turned their teams into contenders.
Dillingham took over a program in disarray, courtesy of the previous regime and Edwards, and had to deal with NCAA sanctions that were no fault of his own. The Sun Devils were 3-9 the year before he arrived, and there were massive player defections. He had no choice but to reload through the transfer portal.
The Sun Devils, decimated by injuries, were 3-9 in Dillingham's first season.
Sanders also took over a program in shambles. His team was 4-8 in his first year. It was 1-11 the previous year, the last of the three years of the Karl Dorrell era. Sanders had to go portal-heavy in rebuilding his roster as well. He reportedly brought in 102 new players in the first two years.
Both provided a jolt of energy to their fan bases. ASU has sold out all six home games this season, after last year's magical run.
Before Sanders' hiring, season tickets had reportedly not sold out since 1996. In his inaugural season, the entire home slate sold out. The trend continued into 2024 and 2025, with season tickets selling out earlier than ever before, and revenue from ticket sales nearly doubling from the previous year.
2003: Deion Sanders and family celebrate Kids Day at the New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Hornets NBA game at Madison Square Garden in New York, on Nov. 29, 2003." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2000: Washington's Deion Sanders jukes the Detroit Lions' Brock Olivo at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, on Sept. 10, 2000." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
1997: Deion Sanders at the plate for the Cincinnati Reds during the 1997 season. The Reds were among four different MLB teams that Sanders played for during a nine-season career." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
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This season has been a tough one for Colorado, after the departure of its marquee players in Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the coach's son.
But Dillingham sees a competitive opponent.
"It's pretty cool if you're looking at it from his perspective," Dillingham said. "He's won 300% more games this year than the year before he took over. That's pretty good. Life's about relativity, like when he took over that program, they're 300% better. Sometimes you have to put things in perspective, and I think he's done a great job there.
"People are talking about Colorado. Recruits want to go there. They've won a higher percentage of games with him than before him. He's battled a bunch, and it shows the type of person he is."
Sanders went so far as to say that if a recruit didn't choose his program, he would endorse Dillingham's.
"Any time we're recruiting a kid and they're in the running," Sanders said, "and first of all, I never talk negatively about any program, but I always speak highly about his program to other kids who may not choose us."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Colorado vs Arizona State Deion Sanders, Kenny Dillingham mutual respect
