Positional analysis: Kanye Udoh headlines deep running back room for Arizona State

There was no name more synonymous with Sun Devil football last year than Cam Skattebo. Even before putting on his Superman cape in the Peach Bowl and becoming an Internet sensation, Skattebo powered Arizona State’s offense all year long. 

Skattebo alone accounted for nearly 40% of the team’s total scrimmage yards, which is why the biggest question facing this year’s team centers around who fills the void Skattebo left. Kenny Dillingham and running backs coach Shaun Aguano turned to the transfer portal, adding former Army runner Kanye Udoh. 

However, Udoh isn’t the only candidate to fill in for Skattebo. Kyson Brown flashed plenty last year as Skattebo’s top backup, and Raleek Brown brings a ton of promise after missing most of last year with injuries. Then there’s freshmen Jason Brown and Demarius Robinson. 

It all makes for a very full running back room, so our own David Howman and Andrew Hayslett break down all the moving parts for a position battle that everyone has eyes on. 

Howman: I want to start by talking about Raleek Brown, because I think everyone is sleeping on him right now. He was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school, and was still good enough to be a 4-star transfer prospect when he picked Arizona State. 

Raleek has a slender frame, listed at 5’8” and 190 pounds, so he’s not going to be the between-the-tackles type that Skattebo was. But he offers elite speed and agility that can make him a weapon on outside runs and in the passing game. 

I also think there’s untapped potential to use him as a gadget player in the slot, with jet sweeps and tunnel screens as methods to get him the ball in space and let him go to work. 

Hayslett: Raleek Brown is an interesting case. Raleek has shown that he is a great athlete, as evidenced by his work in both rushing and receiving at USC. That has not necessarily translated to on-field results. I like the idea of using him as a gadget player, as Troy Omeire, Xavier Guillory and Melquan Stovall have all departed from the program. Raleek also did some punt return work in the spring, so that could be a position where he thrives. 

I think the duo of Kyson Brown and Kanye Udoh will split the backfield to start the season. Brown will likely start as the 1A back. Still, I could imagine Dillingham and running backs coach Shaun Aguano operating the room similarly to how the Detroit Lions use David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. 

Both have shown they are capable. Kyson has shown that he can be a bell cow with 63 and 73-yard games against Oklahoma State and UCF, where Skattebo did not play. His best game came in tandem usage with Skattebo, with both hitting triple-digit yardage on the ground in Tucson. Udoh just had a successful season at West Point, where he averaged over six yards per carry on over 1,100 yards alongside quarterback Bryson Daily, who rushed for 1,600 himself. 

Howman: I think that’s a good call on the comparison of Gibbs and Montgomery. Aguano has been a phenomenal running backs coach for Arizona State, developing studs like Eno Benjamin, Rachaad White, X Valladay, and of course Skattebo. But, for the most part, his running back room has always had one bellcow. 

I’m really curious to see how the split works out between Udoh and Kyson Brown. At Army, Udoh operated as a downhill runner in their triple option offense, but the concepts he was running are quite different from what Dillingham and Marcus Arroyo called for Skattebo last year. He projects nicely into some of the short yardage stuff where Skattebo excelled last year, but I’m unsure if he can take over as the lead back the way Skattebo did last year. 

As for Kyson, he flashed lots of promise last year in a variety of ways. He broke several huge plays and was especially useful catching passes out of the backfield, but he also showed plenty of strength at the point of attack too. Udoh transferred here for a reason, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we’re talking about Kyson as the top running back by the middle of the season. 

Hayslett: Aguano has produced a running back who has accumulated over 1,000 all-purpose yards in every full season he has served as the running backs coach at Arizona State. He has had only one year in which he had a second back go over 500 all-purpose yards, and that was last season. 

This could be the year that those statistics change, as I think Kyson and Udoh will have exceptional seasons, totalling 700-900 all-purpose yards. Let’s not forget that quarterback Sam Leavitt can also be an effective runner, which could take away from their potential totals. Jason Brown Jr caught my eye in the spring as he had a few explosive runs.

A new piece added to the running backs room is Trenton Bourguet as an assistant running backs coach. Bourguet spent six years playing quarterback for the Sun Devils, gaining valuable knowledge over that time, starting in 11 games. It will be interesting to see how he can pass on his knowledge to help the running backs, especially in the passing game.

Howman: I think Bourguet will be a natural in the coaching ranks, and he’s learning from a great mentor in Aguano. Hopefully the two of them can help crack the code on having a genuine timeshare at the running back position this year, because Kyson and Udoh are both oozing with talent, as is Raleek. 

You mentioned Jason Brown, another of what feels like a million Sun Devil running backs named Brown. He’s looked good too, much like true freshman Demarius Robinson, but it’s going to be hard to find playing time for either with how loaded this room is right now. I would anticipate both will get reps in the fourth quarters of blowouts, while being careful to preserve Robinson’s redshirt status, but that might be it. 

It’s a great problem to have, especially when replacing a guy like Skattebo. I’m not sure anyone on this roster will be as good as Skattebo this year - an incredibly high bar - but I do feel that the position group as a whole will be very, very strong.