Livescore
When Cam Skattebo was invited to a luncheon as a guest earlier this month, the keynote speaker for the event wanted to meet Arizona State’s star running back. Looking back at Skattebo’s rise to college football fame during the 2024 season, someone requesting a meet-and-greet was not unusual.
That keynote speaker was no ordinary person, however. It was Nick Saban, the former Alabama coach regarded as the greatest college football coach of the modern era. Saban, who had called Skattebo his “favorite player” during a segment on ESPN’s “College Gameday” in November, offered the star running back some words of wisdom and encouragement just days before Arizona State’s appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Whatever the advice was — it worked. Arizona State defeated Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 title game behind a monster day from Skattebo, who ran for 170 yards and scored three touchdowns. The win propelled the program to its first appearance in the College Football Playoff.
“It was awesome because you never really understand who’s talking about you,” Skattebo told CBS Sports about the interaction with Saban. “Then you start thinking, ‘Am I good enough?’ Then you hear one of the greatest football coaches in college football history say something positive about you and that you’re his favorite player, and it takes me back to all the countless hours that have been put in. It was awesome to be able to talk to him and get some words of wisdom.”
Arizona State’s victory over Iowa State marked one of the most unlikely conference championship wins in college football history. The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason media poll. Now, they’re preparing to face 5-seed Texas on Jan. 1 in the Peach Bowl with a berth to the semifinals on the line.
Skattebo’s rise to fame is just as improbable. Once an unheralded recruit out of Rio Linda High School, located just north of California’s capital city of Sacramento, Skattebo had just one Division l offer — from his hometown school of Sacramento State — despite an electrifying career at the high school level. Skattebo ran for 3,550 yards and 45 touchdowns during his junior season and helped his team win a state championship in 2018.
Shortly after Skattebo’s high school career ended, he committed to play for coach Troy Taylor at Sacramento State, but getting on the field right away wasn’t in the cards. Sac State canceled its 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Skattebo started the following season off the two-deep depth chart.
The turning point came when Sac State all-conference running back Elijah Dotson left the program midseason. The departure opened the door for Skattebo to step into a more prominent role in the offense. He ran for 117 yards and a touchdown in his first start against Northern Arizona and ended the season with 520 rushing yards on only 57 attempts.
“I didn’t look at it as someone was in my way,” Skattebo said. “I just kept grinding and it ended up working out. He left and I took the role on. I had a couple of running backs next to me and behind me that were really good players. The fact that he left gave me a little more of an opportunity because he was the vet in the room.”
Skattebo became a household name at the FCS level the following season, rushing for 1,372 yards and seven touchdowns. He won Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year and helped Sac State finish with a program-best 12-1 record. Less than 24 hours after Sac State’s magical season ended, Taylor and Skattebo’s running back coach, Malcolm Agnew, left for Stanford.
Skattebo entered the transfer portal days later.
“Coach Taylor did a good job of being able to find me and understanding what talent level I was at,” Skattebo said. “He used me in ways (on offense) I couldn’t even have imagined. When I go back to it, he gave me a chance at a level he knew I could play at. I was getting a little complacent being there, understanding that I was a star. I knew I could be at a higher level. Being part of a success story and not a failure story is always going to be a blessing.”
Skattebo’s recruitment experience in the transfer portal was much different from his high school days. He received heavy interest from a handful of FBS programs but only took an official visit to Arizona State. He committed to the Sun Devils just weeks after the program hired Kenny Dillingham to replace Herm Edwards.
The young coach and player quickly bonded, looking to build back the ASU program together. Arizona State finished 3-9 in its final season as a member of the Pac-12, but Skattebo showcased glimpses of the versatility that could make him one of college football’s most popular players. Skattebo was adamant about staying at Arizona State to help build off the 2023 season.
The second turning point of Skattebo’s football career happened before the start of this season. Dillingham sat down with Skattebo and bluntly told his star running back that he would have to improve to reach his full potential to play in the NFL someday.
“This Cam has the potential to play on Sundays,” Dillingham told Arizona Sports before the start of the season. “Last year’s Cam did not. That’s how drastic of a change he made, his decision he wanted to achieve being a Sunday player.”
Skattebo took that advice to heart. He produced the best season of his college career and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He produced over 2,000 all-purpose yards and helped Arizona State win 11 games for the first time since 1996.
“He sat me down and told me I could be successful if I did this, this and this,” Skattebo said of the meeting. “Instead of leaving after going 3-9, I stuck there and I did what he told me to do. It shows he has it out for people to be successful. He tells the truth. We are real tight. He will be invited to my wedding someday. He’s going to be someone I look up to if I go into the coaching world.”
CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Chris Trapasso compares Skattebo to current Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet; his current draft grade for Skattebo is as a mid-to-late third-round pick, calling him a nightmare in open space because of his tackle-breaking ability.
Five years ago, Skattebo was a name only known within Sacramento circles. During his climb to an improbable rise, Skattebo helped two different programs win conference championships, became Saban’s favorite player and captured the hearts of neutral observers, soaring into the top-five of 2024 Heisman Trophy voting thanks to a highlight-heavy win over Iowa State in the Big 12 title game.
Skattebo has become one of the most recognizable players in college football because of his bruising playing style and jaw-dropping highlight runs. Whether you’re watching him for the first time against Texas or have followed his career from the start, you might share the same sentiment as one of the game’s most legendary figures: Like Saban, Skattebo might become your favorite player in college football, too.
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