Yardbarker
x
Texas Longhorns' Steve Sarkisian Loves Arizona State's Cam Skattebo: 'Heck of a Player!'
Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo (4) holds up the WWE Big 12 championship belt after the Sun Devils defeat the Iowa State Cyclones and win the 2024 Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

When the Texas Longhorns meet the Arizona State Sun Devils in Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in the College Football Playoffs this New Year's Day, the Longhorns will have only hope to contain one of the Sun Devils players.

Of course, that would be the running back Cam Skattebo, who came onto the scene as one of the top running backs in the nation this year.

In a year where Arizona State had their most wins since the 1996 season, Skattebo gained over 2,000 yards of scrimmage and 22 touchdowns. He finished fifth in the nation in rushing yards with 1,568 yards and completed the regular season with an exclamation mark going for 170 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Big 12 Championship against Iowa State.

Born in Rio Linda, CA, Skattebo originally attended Sacramento State for two years, an FCS team, where in the last season he ran for 1,372 yards and scored ten total touchdowns on the season as the team went 12-1.

Good numbers, but not good enough to get recognized nationally. After entering the transfer portal, Skattebo was given an opportunity at Arizona State, and the rest is history.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian talked to the media on Saturday and gave a ton of credit to Arizona State for landing the star running back.

"In all reality, I wish I would've discovered Cam when he was transferring the first time around. I was unaware," Sarkisian said with a laugh. "So, kudos to (Arizona State). They found him, and he's a heck of a player."

And while it would have been a luxury to have a talented running back for the Longhorns, let's not forget the duo performance put on by Jaydon Blue and Tre Wisner against Clemson, who combined for almost 300 yards of rushing. It will be an interesting thing to watch to see which team can take control of the run game first.

Kickoff will be at noon C.T. on ESPN.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!