Cam Skattebo ranked among top players in College Football Playoff
He may not have finished in the top four in the Heisman Trophy voting, but Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo is finally getting the national recognition he deserves.
With the first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff kicking off on Friday, ESPN released its list of the top 50 players in the CFP. And Skattebo is near the top.
Ranked ahead of Skattebo are Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty — the Heisman runner-up — and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Skattebo came in at No. 3.
"Skattebo was a revelation in Arizona State's monumental turnaround, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to rush for at least 1,500 yards and have more than 500 yards receiving in the same season," ESPN's Kyle Bonagura wrote. "He trailed only Ashton Jeanty in yards from scrimmage this season (2,074) and finished with 22 touchdowns, including nine in his past three games."
Two more Arizona State players made the list: quarterback Sam Leavitt at No. 44 and offensive lineman Leif Fautanu at No. 49.
Earlier this week Skattebo was named to the AP All-America first team, becoming the first ASU player to earn first team honors since kicker Zane Gonzalez in 2016.
Skattebo came in fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting with 3 first-place votes and 170 total points. It was the highest finish for an Arizona State player since quarterback Jake Plummer finished third in the 1996 Heisman voting. No Sun Devil has ever won the Heisman.
Skattebo has had a huge senior season — and he's not done yet. Arizona State (11-2) will play the winner of No. 12 Clemson vs. No. 5 Texas in the CFP quarterfinals on New Year's Day in Atlanta. Texas hosts Clemson on Saturday at 2 p.m. MST.
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Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.