Senior running back Cam Skattebo is one of the more popular football players to come through the Arizona State program. He even has two food items named after him at popular local eateries.
When you’ve rushed for 1,000 yards and led the resurgence of a program that was one of the worst in college football the previous two seasons, that’s what happens.
Skattebo is the face of the program this season. He was good last season but this season he has been phenomenal, and his performance is a big reason the Sun Devils (9-2, 6-2) have gone from pretender to College Football Playoff contender overnight.
The Sun Devils, part of a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12, face rival Arizona (4-7, 2-6) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Arizona in the regular-season finale for both schools. With a win, ASU furthers its case for a berth in the title game slated for Dec. 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Six NFL scouts were in attendance at a practice last month. The minute it ended, they migrated over to have a few words with ASU running backs coach Shaun Aguano. Sure, there are other professional prospects on the ASU roster but it was Skattebo whom they were there to check out.
“We sit down with all of our guys at the end of the year to talk about the future and what their goals are,” Aguano said. “Cam is a guy that wants to play at the next level.
“There were things we told him he needed to do and he took it to heart, did everything we asked. That’s why you’re seeing the guy you’re seeing this season.”
Skattebo was stellar in 2023, rushing for 783 yards and nine touchdowns and catching 24 passes for another 286 yards.
Dillingham knows Skattebo wants to play in the NFL and had some strong words after the 2023 campaign.
“I said, ‘Listen, if you want to play on Sundays … you’re going to drop weight, you’re going to get in better shape, you’re going to be faster, you’re going to control your passion and you’re going to channel it,'” Dillingham said earlier this season. “He’s done everything I’ve asked him. Right now, that looked like a Sunday player.”
With at least one game left this season Skattebo is up to 1,221 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing with another 34 receptions for 460 receiving yards and two scores. Had he not missed the Central Florida game due to a shoulder injury, Skattebo could be threatening the school’s single-season rushing mark of 1,642 yards set by Eno Benjamin in 2018.
He has already taken home Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors four times, so he’s a leading contender for conference postseason accolades.
The improvement has been aided by a better offensive line but another significant difference comes from the work the 5-foot-11, 215-pound dynamo put in during the offseason, something Aguano and head coach Kenny Dillingham talked to him about after the 2023 campaign.
Strength and conditioning coach Joe Connolly oversees the players’ offseason regimen. Connelly said the plan he and the coaching staff came up with started in January and was geared toward losing some weight and getting quicker.
Skattebo also worked closely with the team’s dietician. It was a regimen unique to him because offseason work and diets depend much on the position a player plays.
Connolly said Skattebo could be a bit stubborn when it came to altering his diet, but Skattebo became sick and lost some weight — which was the goal all along.
Connolly, who also speaks with NFL scouts about ASU’s potential prospects, says the Sun Devils standout played at around 230 pounds last year and he’s down about 15 pounds. Skattebo also had to add some muscle so he could withstand the physical toll he takes as a running back.
The training metrics are proof that Skattebo is faster. This year, he has reached a running speed of 21 miles per hour; last year he had trouble reaching 20. Just how does that translate?
Last season, Skattebo’s longest run from scrimmage was 66 yards. That came against Washington State. His next longest run was 18 yards against USC. His season-high game was 121 yards.
It wasn’t uncommon to see Skattebo break through the line of scrimmage only to be chased down by a speedier defensive back.
This season there has been no defender chasing the Sun Devils down from behind. His longest runs from scrimmage in five games this season have been 23 yards or longer. He has five games of 147 or more yards with a career-best 262 coming in the win over Mississippi State.
Connolly joked that the food items named after Skattebo aren’t necessarily good for his diet, so, while posting pictures on social media is fine, Connolly is hoping for the best for Skattebo’s physical fitness.
“It’s all about moderation,” Connolly said. “It’s a great thing and I want him to enjoy them, but I don’t want him to enjoy them too much.”
