Kenny Dillingham said on Monday that Arizona State needed to ramp up its NIL efforts at a “rapid” rate.

Arizona State fans absolutely responded. According to Sun Devil Source’s Chris Karpman, the Sun Angel Collective — ASU’s official collective for athletics — signed up more new monthly members on Monday than any prior day in its existence. Once athletic director Ray Anderson made it known he was stepping down, ASU fans stepped up.

“Unbelievable,” Dillingham told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s what we need. Can we keep that momentum going? That’s the challenge.”

Amid an NCAA investigation into the program and a tumultuous end to the Herm Edwards regime, the relationship between Anderson and the Arizona State fanbase had grown increasingly strained in recent years.

Dillingham has supercharged the push to compete in the NIL arena since landing in Tempe. He came over from Oregon, which has had no issues in the market. Dillingham knows what it will take at ASU, and he has consistently called on fans to turn up to support the program as it prepares for the Big 12.

“We’re getting better. We’re competing. We need support, we need help, we need to activate the Valley,” Dillingham said on Monday. “It’s the same message. Anybody who watches us play, you should be proud of the effort our guys are putting on the field.”