Zone Read: Charlie Ragle Unplugged 2.0

Last time “Zone Read” sat down with Charlie Ragle, he had just taken the head coaching job at Idaho State.

What a difference three years makes.

Ragle is again “home” and helping Arizona State’s rise from the ashes in the newly remodeled Big 12.

Earlier this week we caught up with the former Chaparral High head coach, now ASU Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator ,to discuss a myriad of topics both on, and off the field.

You grew up in New Mexico and first got the “itch” to coach playing Tecmo Bowl as a little kid. Where do you feel you’ve grown the most as coach from when you started to where you are today? “I think, obviously, life is about experiences and you grow the older you get. I think it’s the value of people and understanding people – not just young people, but working on a staff. Understanding the development of young men and helping Coach [Kenny] Dillingham the best that I can. I think those are the things I’ve really grown the most in over my career.”

Is it weird calling one of your former players [at Chaparral], “Coach Dillingham?” [laughing] You know…not really. At the end of the day, Kenny is the boss. I knew that coming here, right? I left a head coaching job [at Idaho State], where I was in charge to come work for him…it’s not necessarily about where you work, but it’s more about who you work for, and here, it is about where you work, too because we all want to be here. We have such an incredible staff and we share a unified vision of what we want to do here. This place is so important to us and we’re going to do everything we can to achieve that vision.”

Take us back to the first time you met Kenny. “What I remember more is meeting his dad first because his dad was on my booster club [at Chaparral] when I got there. I liked his dad instantly. Former military guy. Reminded me of some traits of my father, a former military man, himself. I just thought Mr. Dillingham was just a straight up guy. I just remember him saying, ‘Kenny [a linebacker at Chap], is coming off the knee surgery, just give him a chance.’ 

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.@KennyDillingham on how his coaching career started while he was only 17 and still a high school student. @ASUFootball pic.twitter.com/EUjulrboD1

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) October 18, 2024

“He was coming off the knee surgery and he couldn’t really run, I remember [Kenny] coming up to me at some point and saying, ‘I can’t do this.’ I had obviously got to know him at that point, I told him he needs to be a student with me and help and be involved. I didn’t want to see him lose out on that experience his senior year.” 

How did the conversation go with Kenny when he reached out to you about the ASU job and him asking you to join his staff in Tempe? “[He and I working together], has been something that’s been in the works for years, and it just happened that…obviously, I knew he was going to make a play at the job, right? The timing for me couldn’t have been any worse, because I had just become a head coach myself. The closer it got, I was like, ‘This guy is going to get this job.’ Just because it’s Murphy’s Law, right? Those weekly conversations [with Keenny] became bi-weekly conversations, to every day. When it was getting closer and he knew he was going to get it, he called me and said, ‘Hey, it’s go time.’

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Cool moment at the end of the game between @RagleCharlie and @KennyDillingham

From Chaparral High School to @ASUFootball

ASU is now 6-2 and bowl eligible for the first time since 2021@FOX10Phoenix pic.twitter.com/p5mGe9sSY0

— Robby Baker (@RobbyBakerTV) November 3, 2024

“Very seldom in this profession do you get to come home and work with someone like Kenny, who you’re close with, someone you coached, and be around your family.”

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At the half way point of the season. We are 5-1, more importantly we have done it together 💯 There is NO better place to live in the country🌵We are just getting started. Why would you not want to be a SUN DEVIL 🔱🔱 #STAYHOME&STAYGREAT💯🔱🔱#ACTIVATETHEVALLEY🌵🌵 pic.twitter.com/qe0uhVXmoX

— Charlie Ragle (@RagleCharlie) October 13, 2024

I understand the jump from Arizona high school football to the Big 12 is significant, but do you still use any of those AZHS coaching philosophies, whether it be on the field or off of it, and still implement them today? “Absolutely. I started coaching at Moon Valley High School in 1999. I went to Chaparral and worked under Ron Estrabrook. I owe a lot of my success and the principles of what I learned in my career to Dirk Koetter [at ASU]. There’s no question about that. You talk about about a full circle moment going back to ASU [Ragle was a GA under Koetter at ASU]. It’s eery. 

“I took a lot of those things I learned from Dirk and I applied them when I was head coach at Chaparral. I went and I spent five years with Rich Rodriguez [at Arizona], I spent five years with Justin Wilcox [at Cal]. I’ve been around some pretty good football minds. Being around all of those guys and stealing stuff from them, has allowed me to help Kenny the best I can.”

I think the majority believed Kenny, and the staff he built, would get the program turned around but let’s be real Charlie, could you have ever envisioned a 6-2 start in Year 2, already bowl eligible, in the first few days of November? “If you said, ‘Hey, after Oklahoma State we’re going to be 6-2.’ I don’t know if anyone would have said that. But I did think early on we were going to win some games because of how hard these guys play. There’s a genuine “like it” factor. What I mean by that is they like each other. This team likes each other and you can see it and you can feel it. It’s authentic. Plus, you have what Skat [running back Cam Skattebo] has done and consistent quarterback play. I’m not surprised with the results but I think I’d be lying if we thought we’d be right here, right now. But, I’m certainly glad we are where we are, that’s for sure.”

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Drew- Tell your mom not to wait up… The boys are going Bowling 🎳🔱🔱@Drew____Amaral pic.twitter.com/DJt1SkptX6

— Charlie Ragle (@RagleCharlie) November 3, 2024

How frequently were the players “reminded” that ASU was picked by the media to finish last in the Big 12? “I wouldn’t say it was something we harped on, but it was something we talked about. It’s hard not to when people say, ‘Hey, these guys are no good. They weren’t any good last year and they’re not going to be any good this year.’ You don’t have a competitive fire if that doesn’t bother you. It bothered me. I never finished last in anything. I know it bothered the players but I think Kenny has done a great job of getting these guys focused on one task at a time.”

Football can be so mental, especially with kickers. As the special teams coach, how have you approached the players in that room as they’ve struggled throughout most of the season to this point? “It’s hard. It is mental, especially at that position. They all have physical skills or they wouldn’t be here. It’s in-between the ears. The mental process. You have to work to find their niche. What is their sweet spot, and try to lean into that. I think they all know, to a man, that I believe in them and some days you’re going to have good days, and some days you’re going to have bad days. That’s ok. But it’s just trying to be as consistent as possible. It’s a marathon and not a sprint. I think we took a good step Saturday night [against Oklahoma State].”

As we approach 2025, and as someone who’s always had their finger on the pulse, give us a high-level assessment of the  high school football talent. “I think when you talk about this, you’re talking about a couple of different metrics. I think as people continue to move to the Valley, the talent level will continue to grow. At the end of the day, we’re really talking about numbers. 

“If I go fishing in a pond and there’s only five fish in the pond, my odds of catching a fish aren’t very good, let alone a big fish. But if I go fishing in a pond with 500 fish, not only are my odds pretty good about catching one, they’re even better about catching a big one. I think that’s where Phoenix is in terms of talent. As it continues to grow, so will the talent. The talent level, the upper crust if you will, is still elite.”