ASU's Explosive RB Looking to Bounce Back From Injury

It wasn’t supposed to be this hard for Raleek Brown.

Once a five-star recruit on Rivals and a four-star on other outlets, Brown’s path to consistent playing time has been anything but smooth.

Originally, he spent two years with the USC Trojans, but his time there ended abruptly, a split many speculate was hinted at by his own social media comments.

Since arriving in 2022, Brown has only played in two games. During his freshman season, however, he flashed promise, recording 402 scrimmage yards, six total touchdowns, and leading the Pac-12 in kick return yards with 517 yards, despite not finding the end zone.

Because of his effectiveness catching the ball, USC head coach Lincoln Riley decided to move him to wide receiver in 2023. With MarShawn Lloyd and Austin Jones entrenched in the backfield, Brown became an afterthought in the run game.

But the position switch didn’t click. He then decided to redshirt the season.

At 5-foot-8, he's at a disadvantage. While he's great at pass catching, he needs to be on the field sifting through players, and not looking to create separation. Yes, smaller receivers like Tyreek Hill, Tyler Lockett, and Julian Edelman have thrived, but they’re the exception, not the rule.

So, transferring to Arizona State was a calculated move.

Running behind Sun Devil legend Cam Skattebo looked like a golden opportunity to get back to his natural position. But the injury bug had other plans.

On just the second day of fall camp, Brown felt something that wasn't right in his hamstring.

"It felt bad, so I knew it wasn't good," Brown said. "After practice I could barely walk. I knew it was bad, but I thought I'd be back eventually. It just kept lingering and other stuff kept happening."

He missed the first two weeks of the season, then tried to give it a go in Week 3 against Texas State. He tallied two carries and one reception, but later admitted he was only 70-75% healthy at the time.

The hamstring continued to linger, and after one more brief appearance, Brown shut it down for the year, with a goal to return stronger in 2025.

"It feels good to be playing football again. It's been a long time," he said during spring practice. "I hated having to just watch. I was itching to get in there."

Now, with Skattebo gone, the ASU backfield is up for grabs. Between Kanye Udoh, Kyson Brown, and Raleek Brown, the Sun Devils quietly have one of the most dangerous and explosive backfields in the FBS.

And if Raleek gets to play the way he wants, which is back in his natural spot, healthy and motivated, he doesn’t need to be the featured back to make a huge impact.

If he flashes even a little of what he did as a freshman, the Sun Devils could be on their way to another Big 12 title chase.

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