Deion Sanders Praises ASU's Kenny Dillingham Despite CFP Loss ...

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham received support from another notable Big 12 coach after the Sun Devils suffered a hard-fought 39-31 overtime loss to Texas in the College Football Playoff on Wednesday.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders complimented Dillingham in a post on X.

"We are proud of u and your team," Sanders wrote.

The Sun Devils faced a 24-8 deficit near the start of the fourth quarter in Wednesday's contest, but they were able to storm back and tie the game at the end of regulation.

Arizona State briefly took a seven-point lead in overtime, but Texas tied the contest once more on a fourth-down conversion with 13 yards to gain.

The Longhorns scored again, while an interception by Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt sealed the final result.

Despite the tough finish, it's hard to call Dillingham's second year with the school anything but a success. Arizona State reached 11 wins for the first time since 1996, securing a Big 12 title with a 45-19 victory over Iowa State on Dec. 7.

Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo thrived in Dillingham's offense, picking up 2,074 all-purpose yards and 22 total touchdowns before Wednesday's action. Skattebo also finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

While Sanders' Colorado team also challenged for a spot in the conference title game after switching from the Pac-12, he's repeatedly shown admiration for his opponent.

The Buffaloes' coach mentioned Dillingham when expressing his support for Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule, as all three started at their respective schools during the same hiring cycle.

"I have a ton of respect for Matt Rhule," Sanders previously said, via ESPN's Kyle Bonagura. "He's in -- I call it our class of coaches. We all took on a tremendous test last year along with [Arizona State] Coach [Kenny] Dillingham and several others. So, I feel like we're a fraternity. So, I root for that class of head coaches that came in that year."

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Tuesday that Arizona State handed Dillingham a new five-year contract that will "put him in the top tier of Big 12 coaching salaries."

Following the Sun Devils' narrow CFP loss, Sanders applauded the effort from his conference foe.