Skat plays.

That is what former Arizona State quarterback Trenton Bourguet, now a member of the Sun Devils coaching staff, calls plays that probably only could, or would, be made by former Sun Devil and now New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo.

“I’m with the running backs here at Arizona State [as a coach]. I’ve been making a cut-up, we call them ‘Skat plays’, plays that were great plays but if it was ‘Skat’ it would have been very tough to do, Bourguet said.

“I think the cut-up I made was easily over a hundred and fifteen plays where it’s just [if] he gets five yards it’s a great play and then 30 yards later and five tackles later that he broke, that’s a Skat play. That’s just something that he does.”

Those plays are also why the Giants, with toughness as an emphasis throughout the 2025 NFL Draft, made the 5-foot-9, 219-pound Skattebo their fourth-round pick, No. 105 overall.

Bourguet does have a couple of favorite Skat plays.

“I saw him break two crazy runs against Utah this past year that were unbelievable. You think it’s going to be a two- or three-yard gain and he makes some jump cuts here and there and then stiff arms a defender off like he’s playing against little kids,” Bourguet said. “The Big 12 Championship Game, the first carry I think he went for like 60 yards, just breaking six, seven tackles.”

Skattebo loves the contact so much that Bourguet said he would seek it out even when it wasn’t necessary.

“He was the type of guy who if he was 10 yards away from the end zone he could easily just jog into the end zone but he would slow down on purpose to let that last defender come and give him a hit stick or something like that,” Bourguet said.

That shouldn’t come as a shock. Skattebo used to run into telephone poles for fun.

After he was selected by the Giants, Skattebo told media that he has had the same “run over everything in sight” mentality since he began playing.

“You can go back, watch some film from back in the day. It’s always been a very physical game for me,” Skattebo said. “Since the age of six years old, I’ve been doing the same thing. Throughout my life I’ve stuck with the path that I’ve put myself on, and it’s working out. I’m going to continue to do that because that’s what is bringing me success.”

Skattebo’s nickname is “Nature Boy,” after legendary professional wrestler Ric Flair.

“No, it was something that I did in high school when I ran someone over… I would do the ‘Ric Flair Woo,’” Skattebo said. “One of my good friends told me to do that, and we kind of got that started. It was something that he and I connected over and over the years, it caught on and stuck with me.”

Skattebo’s bulldozing style and ability to stay on his feet despite being hit are the part of his game that garner attention.

In the Rookie Scouting Portfolio draft guide, Matt Waldman rates Skattebo top tier in the 2025 draft class in power and among the best in contact balance and vision.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com called Skattebo a “carnage creator” in a pre-draft scouting report.

“I think that describes him very well,” Bourguet said. “There’s so many words you can try to describe him with — tough, physical, passionate.

“He’s going to give you everything he’s got every single play. You saw him throwing up in games just from everything he was pouring out onto the field.”

Bourguet calls Skattebo “one of one” and says his patience as a runner and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield are attributes that make him more than just a power back.

Bourguet believes these under-appreciated characteristics will help Skattebo succeed.

“He has great hands as a receiver. He can catch the ball out of the backfield,” Bourguet said. “That’s a quarterback’s dream, to be able to put your running back one-on-one with a linebacker or safety in space.”

Patience to allow blocks to develop is another trait Bourguet believes Skattebo has worked hard to develop.

“When he first got here [Arizona State as a transfer from Sacramento State] he was too fast hitting the holes. He would just kind of see the grass and hit it,” Bourguet said. “As the season went on this past year his patience definitely developed.

“Once you put his vision and his speed and his contact balance all into one it’s something that is super hard to find. He’s a special running back.”

Bourguet believes that Skattebo’s play style and personality could make him a fan favorite with the Giants.

“Skat is going to be Skat. It doesn’t matter whether he’s at dinner, whether he’s at the mall, on the field,” Bourguet said. “He’s always just super, super real with you. He’s going to kill you with that smile, you’re going to see him smile and laugh and joke around.

“I think that’s what makes him special is he doesn’t try to be somebody that he’s not. He’s not going to try to act different in front of the cameras or in front of his teammates. He’s going to be who he is.”

Skattebo is looking forward to proving those who doubt him because of his 4.65 4-yard dash and his squatty build wrong.

“I’ve been doubted my whole life, so I hate answering certain questions because there’s certain things that you don’t really have answers to, how other people think and stuff like that,” Skattebo said. “I’m ready to play football for the New York Giants, and I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got. I can’t wait to be there. It’s going to be awesome.”