‘ASU has changed my life forever’: Cam Skattebo after playing last game for Sun Devils
Arizona Sate running back Cam Skattebo addresses the media after the Sun Devils’ loss to the Longhorns in the 2025 Peach Bowl.
Sports Seriously
Former Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo’s coach, Shaun Aguano, praised Skattebo’s personality and on-field potential.Aguano highlighted Skattebo’s love for football, his high football IQ, and his “underdog mentality.”
New York Giants fans are excited about Cam Skattebo’s potential fit with the team after the former Arizona State running back was picked with the No. 105 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft in April.
They might get even more amped up after reading recent comments from Skattebo’s running backs coach with the Sun Devils.
That coach, Shaun Aguano, recently raved about Skattebo and his NFL potential on the Giants Huddle podcast after seeing the running back collect 2,316 yards from scrimmage and 24 touchdowns for ASU last season.
He explained why Giants fans are going to love the rookie running back.
Cam Skattebo ‘going to fit right in’ with Giants
“What you see is what you’re going to get,” Aguano told the podcast. “He’s very good out in public with people. He’s approachable, he has a great personality. Being in New York, he’s going to fit right in. At the same time, you’ll love the way he plays. He’ll bring that enthusiasm to the game.”
Cam Skattebo plays with ‘underdog mentality’
Aguano shed some light on what makes Skattebo tick in the interview on the podcast.
“Great personality,” he said. “Intense guy that played the underdog mentality the whole time. What people don’t understand, and you don’t find this too much, is he loves football. He’s an all-ball guy. That kind of persuaded me to jump on him real quick and persuade him to get to Arizona State.
“His football intelligence is probably one of the most elite things about him, as well as his athletic ability. But he understands the game of football and loves the game of football.”
‘Skat runs’ from Cam Skattebo
Aguano detailed what makes Skattebo special.
“His lateral quickness is something people don’t understand, and especially from his contact,” Aguano said. “When he makes contact, his separation from the contact is elite, as well, because he’s a strong, strong kid with a good core. But again, lateral quickness, they think that he’s going to get hit and next thing you know, we call it ‘Skat runs.’ It’s supposed to be three to four yards because somebody filled it. The next thing you know, he’s gone for 20-25 yards because he made an explosive (play).”
Cam Skattebo will ‘run through a wall for you’
The Arizona State running backs coach explained why Giants fans will love Skattebo, the person.
“He’s intense all the time,” Aguano said. “He’s actually a very funny guy, but he’s an intelligent guy. But once those lights go on, he’s ready to play football. He’s a big relationship guy. I think in order for people to understand him, he builds relationships, he builds that trust, and then he’ll run through a wall for you.
“He does well in our room because he’s taking that leadership role where he’ll help out the younger guys. So, he became the leader in that room. He’ll wait his turn and play that underdog, and he’ll battle every day, until he gets to a spot where he thinks he can compete at a high level.”
Cam Skattebo ‘studies so much of the game’
Aguano detailed how much work Skattebo puts in off the field on the podcast.
“What people don’t understand about Cam is that he wants to know the why of it,” Aguano said. “He knows the blocking scheme, he knows the calls, he knows the protection, he knows why that happens, he knows the pressures, the simulated pressures and where they’re coming from because he studies the why and he wants to know.
“He’s a guy that asks a lot of questions, but those questions are very intelligent questions because he wants to know ‘Why do we do it?’ He’ll challenge you if you don’t have an answer to why you do it, because he studies so much of the game.”
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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