The Heisman Trophy finalists will be announced Monday, and there is a very high possibility two talented running backs will be making a trip to New York for the ceremony this weekend.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Arizona State senior Cam Skattebo and Boise State junior Ashton Jeanty have taken over the college football landscape as two of the most electrifying players in the country. The pair has brought back a respect for the running back position that has been lost over the years.
Following No. 9 Boise State’s selection as the third seed in the College Football Playoff and automatic bid to the 2024 VRBO Fiesta Bowl, Boise State’s head coach Spencer Danielson said that Jeanty and Skattebo’s seasons are a testament that great players can be found anywhere.
“Seeing what Cam Skattebo did at Arizona State to lead his team to a Big 12 Championship, it’s awesome to see what those two guys do,” Danielson said.
???????? @BroncoSportsFB @Coach_SD met the media on Sunday and shared his thoughts on the #FiestaBowl, a game that originally introduced him to Boise State. pic.twitter.com/hyt0SPJEmo
— Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (@Fiesta_Bowl) December 9, 2024
The entire country saw what the two best running backs in the nation were capable of all season, and now have the opportunity to shake up the typical outcome of college football’s highest honor.
The Heisman has become a quarterback-driven award, seeing only four non-QB winners since 2000. Three of those recipients were running backs (Reggie Bush in 2005, Mark Ingram in 2009, Derrick Henry in 2015). The 2008-2009 and 2014-2015 seasons were the only years this century where more than one running back was selected as a finalist, with former Stanford running backs Toby Gerhart (2009) and San Francisco 49er Christian McCaffrey (2015) joining Alabama’s Ingram and Henry in New York for the festivities. There also hasn’t been a Heisman race since 1977 where a quarterback wasn’t considered a finalist, when Texas’ Earl Campbell receive the award over former Oklahoma State running back Terry Miller and Notre Dame tight end Ken MacAfee.
That streak is very likely to be broken Saturday.
With Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter sitting as the favorite to win the trophy, Jeanty and Skattebo’s potential selections could mark the first time a quarterback isn’t in the final three in 47 years.
Both running backs are incredibly talented and deserving of the honor, but Danielson has already made his pick.
“I got to see who (Jeanty) was as a true freshman and true sophomore as the best football player in the country,” Danielson said. “I believe he’ll win the Heisman on Saturday.”
Danielson doesn’t have a vote, so his opinion won’t be counted in the selection. But no matter who takes the award, both running backs deserve to be there.
Jeanty’s nation-leading 2,497 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns were accrued through multiple 100-plus-yard games, breaking off scary runs from his sinister stance out of the backfield that’s caused a viral uproar and been mimicked by kids across the country. He broke free for 209 yards and a score on 32 carries to guide Boise State to victory in the Broncos’ Mountain West Championship last Friday.
“I’m just looking ‘em in their eyes, letting ‘em know, I’m ready to play some ball.”
????️ Ashton Jeanty on his stance pic.twitter.com/1ZweuUQwju
— CBS Sports College Football ???? (@CBSSportsCFB) November 14, 2024
Skattebo isn’t running far behind.
Arizona State’s star senior compiled 1,568 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns over the course of the season, which both rank in the top 10 in the country. Where Skattebo adds to his claim is being a key component in ASU’s passing attack as the Sun Devils second-leading receiver with 506 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air to go with them.
On one of football’s biggest stages with all eyes on him, Skattebo dropped the mic with an exemplary outing in the Big 12 title match.
Breaking tackles and busting loose for highlight run after highlight run, Skattebo rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries that he accompanied with a receiving touchdown to lead the Sun Devils to a 45-19 beatdown of No. 18 Iowa State. At the end of the game, ASU’s standout made a contrasting statement from Danielson’s opinion on where he stands amongst others in his position.
“Nobody respects the fact that I’m the best running back in the country, and I’m going to stand on that,” Skattebo said. “I’m going to keep proving people wrong, and whatever NFL team takes me is going to get a gem.”
"Nobody respects the fact that I'm the best running back in the country."
????Cam Skattebo (@camskattebo5 ) makes his Heisman case after hitting the pose three times in the Big 12 Championship after each of his touchdowns.
"Let's go. Get me to New York."@SunDevilSource pic.twitter.com/5jkMLdiLJZ
— Gabriella Chernoff (@gabbyjchernoff) December 7, 2024
Whether you think it is Jeanty or Skattebo who deserves the right to be called the best RB in the country, you have to respect what both have been able to achieve this season.
On top of their mind-boggling individual performances, both of their teams earned byes in the College Football Playoff. ASU’s Big 12 victory granted the Sun Devils the fourth seed behind Boise State.
Neither team was expected to be here.
Boise State, members of the Mountain West Conference, legitimacy had been questioned all year for playing in a weaker conference; however a 37-34 loss to No. 1 Oregon would say that despite their conference affiliation, the Broncos are not a weak team. Boise State gave Oregon one of its toughest fights of the year, and Jeanty was not slowed down. He rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries against the best team in college football.
Arizona State plays in the restructured Big 12. Despite the conference being considered a part of the Power 4, the Big 12 didn’t garner the same respect as the ACC, B1G and SEC during this time. Regardless of what outsiders tried to say, the Sun Devils and Skattebo knew what they had from the beginning and are one of the top seeds in the first 12-team playoff because of it.
ARIZONA STATE CONSIDERED ????@ASUFootball is the No.4 seed in the @CFBPlayoff #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/hZZ7hEAMJf
— Sun Devil Football (@ASUFootball) December 8, 2024
“What Kenny Dillingham was able to do at Arizona State and how they were able to finish the season and win the Big 12 championship, I’m excited for him and their staff,” Danielson said. “So excited for them, the same way I’m excited for our team.”
Whether Jeanty or Skattebo will be this year’s Heisman recipient is still up in the air. As great of an honor as it would be and as deserving as both individuals are of receiving the award, what’s most important is that they have done things for the running back position that hasn’t been done in a very long time and both of their teams have reaped the benefits of it.
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live
