ASU football’s Cam Skattebo not named a Heisman Trophy finalist

Arizona State star running back Cam Skattebo will not head to New York City as one of four Heisman Trophy finalists, which were announced on Monday.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and Miami quarterback Cam Ward were pegged as contenders for the award that honors the top player in college football each season.

“I mean, some of that is political, and I get it,” head coach Kenny Dillingham told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Monday.

“He kind of came from so far away to try to become the Heisman. … You kind of have to go into the season being on like that watch list and people are hyping you up. That way people would have watched him all year, right? And I think the fact that our team was ranked so low definitely hurt him, because people didn’t see him play the first nine weeks of the season. I think if people would have watched him play the entire season, I think he would be there on Saturday.”

Skattebo sent a very clear message to a national audience during and after ASU’s Big 12 championship game victory over Iowa State on Saturday, as he hit the notorious Heisman pose after scoring touchdowns and again on the stage while confetti rained down. Skattebo ran through defender after defender for 170 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns and caught two passes for 38 yards and another score.

He said postgame, “Nobody respects the fact that I’m the best running back in the country. I’m going to stand on that. If people want to disrespect that, I’m going to keep going and proving people wrong.”

ASU running back Cam Skattebo explains why he hit the signature Heisman pose after his touchdown run. pic.twitter.com/c4Gjp1v4lV

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) December 8, 2024

Skattebo is second in the FBS in scrimmage yards (2,074) behind Jeanty (2,613) through the conference championship games. He ran for 1,568 yards (fifth), added 506 receiving yards and scored 22 total touchdowns (tied sixth).

He is the only player in Big 12 history to record 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards. The last FBS player to do so was Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, who was a finalist for Heisman but lost to Alabama’s Derrick Henry. 

The senior earned a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team, although he lost out on Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Despite the accolades, oddsmakers did not project his candidacy. Hunter and Jeanty are seen as the frontrunners, while Gabriel quarterbacked the No. 1 team in the nation. Ward threw the most touchdown passes with 36 and finished second in passing yards.

Dillingham has vouched for Skattebo’s inclusion in Heisman conversations several times, explaining on Monday his playmaker has had beyond his dominant runs.

“It is an unbelievable story what he’s accomplished this year and it’s only getting better,” Dillingham said. “There is no doubt, in my mind, he should be one of the finalists for the Heisman. I think the impact he’s had on the football team is not just on the field, it’s in the community. … It’s the identity of our football team, the toughness of our football team, the ruggedness, the competitive level of our football team, a big part of that stems from him.”

Skattebo started his college career at Sacramento State, an FCS school, and despite his snubbing from the Heisman finalist — and Doak Walker Award — list, he has vaulted into the limelight of college football ahead of the NFL Draft.

The Heisman Trophy ceremony is on Saturday. More than 900 voters picked the finalists.

Arizona State has still produced one Heisman finalist, as quarterback Jake Plummer received the honor in 1996 when Florida’s Danny Wuerffel won.

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