Silence speaks louder than words. As overused and cliched as that phrase is, there’s a reason it’s stood the test of time. The overarching point stands, and will perpetually. But your significant other giving you the silent treatment after you ditched date night for March Madness is one thing. And the most prominent voice in College Football media failing to even mention your name when discussing the top NFL Draft prospects in your position group is a whole different proposition. One temporarily stings, the other burns. This resounding silence on the media front is what running back Cam Skattebo just got treated to.
Flick through the Chinese calendar and you’d see 2024 was the Year of the Dragon. Over in the US of A, it was the year of the running back. Talk about a dying position resuscitating itself back into vogue. Saquon Barkley flirting with records that have stood the test of time and eras, Derrick Henry changing the perception around older backs and Jahmyr Gibbs redefining what tailbacks can do in the passing game out of the backfield. Down a rung in CFB, Ashton Jeanty earned the most paudits- and rightly so. But don’t sleep on ASU’s force-multiplier Cam Skattebo. Who didn’t just move the sticks with his legs, but even threw for a touchdown off play action in the Peach Bowl. Skattebo’s chain is real, and NFL franchises are paying heed to that. However, Joel Klatt seemingly isn’t too impressed.
This upcoming draft class has spawned plenty of discourse pertaining to it’s strength. The notion around it is that it’s a relatively weak class of prospects. However, that’s pretty surface-level analysis, almost fallacious even. Conceded, the quarterbacks aren’t all that. Especially compared to 2024, which saw six QBs drafted in the top-12. But scratch the surface and you’ll see other position groups are stacked. Revered draftniks such as Todd McShay have labelled this the best RB class in years. Cam Skattebo had a ton of contemporaries to fend off in order to make Joel Klatt’s list of top-5 RBs in this draft cycle. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t.
Klatt relayed the full list over his nakesame YouTube show. No prizes for guessing he slated the aforementioned Ashton Jeanty at #1. He followed him with a tandem of Ohio State running backs. TreVeyon Henderson came in at #2, and Quinshon Judkins filled in the last spot on the podium. UNC’s Omarion Hampton slotted in at #4. Lastly, Joel Klatt finished the list out with Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa. Cam Skattebo couldn’t even get named in the “potential steal” category as consolation. That went to LeQuint Allen from the Syracuse Orange. Was this a mere oversight from Klatt? Or is there rationale behind leaving Skattebo off the list?
Thoughts on @joelklatt‘s Top 5 RBs in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Who would you add? pic.twitter.com/PVXw8riTAQ
— The Joel Klatt Show: A CFB Pod (@JoelKlattShow) March 24, 2025
Cam Skattebo put up north of 1700 rushing yards for Arizona State last season enroute to their B1G championship. He also punched in 21 touchdowns, while averaging 5.8 yards/carry. Oh and he had the small matter of 600 receiving yards and 3 receiving TDs. That seems enough to warrant a spot in the Top 5. Perhaps he didn’t do well at the Combine, affecting his perception and stock? If anything, Skattebo should’ve been bumped if after factoring in his showing in Indy. He tested off the charts in the drills he participated in- the vertical jump and broad jump.
Skattebo’s vert of 39.5 inches ranked fifth among all players at the Combine. Within RBs, it was 2nd. His broad jump of 10 feet and 3 inches ranked 6th among RBs. Skattebo didn’t run the 40-yard dash though, choosing to do so at Pro Day instead. All things baked in, there’s rationale to putting those 5 names ahead of Cam Skattebo. But Joel Klatt may have missed a trick here. Alas, scouts and front-offices have a problem of plenty brewing. It remains to be seen how the hierarchy looks on Roger Goodell’s board that matters come April 25th. Over at his alma mater, there’s some positivity in that warm Arizona air.
Cam Skattebo’s departure hasn’t affected the mood around Kenny Dillingham’s ASU
Not to flare up the PTSD of Sun Devils fans, but hark back to that Peach Bowl date between ASU and the Texas Longhorns. Cam Skattebo almost lead his side to a gargantuan upset, almost single-handedly even. But the cream rose to the top, or the referee cheated- depending on your persuasion as a fan- and Texas prevailed. Bringing the curtain down on a great season for HC Kenny Dillingham. Who oversaw the stardom of not just Skattebo, but QB1 Sam Leavitt.
A team that went 3-9 the previous season will typically be an afterthought the following year. But ASU’s run in 2024 was the antonym of typical. They captivated the country and almost slay Goliath too. No wonder this reversal of fortunes from 3-9 to the CFP coincided with the arrival of Leavitt from Michigan State. Now looking to carry that momentum into ‘25, Coach Dillingham and Leavitt are making sure the culture they’ve set in motion is permeating to the new faces on the roster. 247Sports’ ASU correspondent Chris Karpmen posted on X “Multiple ASU newcomers told me last week that Sam Leavitt’s leadership and daily habits were very eye-opening.” He quoted a posted from the official ASU handle, which showed a video of players expressing their reverence of Leavitt. A true QB1 both on and off the gridiron.
Sam Leavitt will miss his partner in crime in the backfield, but he’d hope for the best as Cam Skattebo ascends to this next chapter of his career. There’s one particular franchise showing interest that will keep him in close proximity to the Arizona State campus. It remains to be seen if that actually materializes. But for now, Skattebo will look to make up ground on the 5 adversaries Joel Klatt has presented him with.
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