White running backs matter! Should ex-ASU standout Cam Skattebo’s race be news?

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Let’s just put this out there: Cam Skattebo is a white running back.

I know … I know … I know … “White running backs matter!”

That shouldn’t be a controversial statement, even coming from a Black sportswriter such as myself. But some people are going to think I’m saying “Black running backs don’t matter!”

Or that I’m saying “white running backs matter more!”

(Also, it’s not my decision to capitalize “Black” and keep “white” lowercase. That came from a grammar and style guide that’s in widespread use in my industry. It’s something I disagree with, because I find it distracting. But that’s above my paygrade.)

Anyway, race shouldn’t even matter here!

Cam Skattebo is a gamer! He’s sneaky athletic! He has game speed! He’s a grinder! He gives it 110 percent! And he’s really, really smart!

And now that all the sarcasm is out of my system, we can address what everyone is talking about when it comes to Arizona State’s top 2025 NFL Draft prospect: What NFL player past or present does he most remind you of?!

Kyle Brandt of the NFL Network came out hot, saying on “Good Morning Football”: “The Cam Skattebo comps are driving me crazy! … I do not want to hear the name ‘Toby Gerhart’ a single time. Don’t say it! If you’re saying it about Cam Skattebo, you’re mailing in your analysis. You’re lazy. They’re not close to the same prospect.

“While I am at it, while I have you, do not utter the name ‘Peyton Hillis’ in my presence, stop it!”

Brandt is saying that we shouldn’t compare Skattebo to other white running backs just because he’s white, which seems like a fair and fairly obvious point.

“It is possible to describe and analyze young Cameron Skattebo without mentioning the name ‘Mike Alstott,’ … Mike Alstott had 4 inches, 30 pounds on Skattebo,” Brandt said. “Guys, just speaking purely in the football sense, it’s not the comp!”

I appreciate what Brandt is doing here.

For far too long, people who get paid to talk about sports have said ridiculous — and borderline racist — things about athletes.

White players are smart. Black players are athletic. White players are hardworking. Black players are gifted. White players are fiery. Black players have attitude problems.  

That sort of junk.

It’s been happening since the days of Jack London and Jack Johnson, and it’s probably not going to stop anytime soon.

Brandt did a great job getting in front of it … except … welllllll … listen, there’s no way to say this delicately: Skattebo has a lot of Alstott in him.

I’ve been around the guy for two years covering ASU football. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and I’ve heard coaches make the same comparison.

I’m also old enough to remember watching Alstott win a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I loved Alstott. Even had a little statue of the guy diving for a touchdown sitting on my desk in college.

Skattebo reminds me of Alstott in a lot of ways that go beyond the reality that they’re both white running backs.

They both crash into defenders. They initiate contact more than they avoid it. They both keep their legs churning after contact. And they’re both harder to stop in short-yardage situations than big dogs on thin chains.

That said, Skattebo also reminds me of another white running back Brandt mentioned.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Brandt said, “I am not going to sit here … and hear the name Cameron Skattebo in the same sentence as ‘deceptively fast’ or ‘sneaky athletic.’ … There is nothing sneaky about a 40-inch vertical jump; 39.5 this guy just jumped.

“That is better than Adrian Peterson, than Jamaal Charles, than Marshawn (Lynch). It’s better than Christian McCaffrey, who I personally thought drove a stake through the entire heart of the ‘sneaky athletic’ joke industry.”

Except … welllllll … listen, there’s no way to say this delicately: Skattebo reminds me of McCaffrey a little bit.

I cover the NFC West, and  I’ve seen McCaffrey a lot.

How good is Cam Skattebo? Even Christian McCaffrey has taken notice

Each of these guys can line up anywhere. They can catch the ball. They can run the ball. And they’re harder to grab than a water balloon in an oil slick. (Brandt is right that there’s nothing sneaky about their athleticism.)

Anyway, I appreciate what Brandt is getting at. I really, really do.

But if we say that Skattebo reminds us of Alstott and McCaffrey, are we lazy? Or racist? Or do we just think that not enough football fans will know what we mean if we say he reminds us of David Montgomery?

And if we avoid certain comparisons just because they’re white isn’t that a problem, too?

Skattebo is shifty like Barry Sanders, and they have similar builds. But can you really justify comparing a prospect to one of the greatest players in the history of professional sports?

Skattebo breaks tackles like Jerome Bettis. But Bettis ran way taller than Skattebo.

Skattebo reminds me of Darren Sproles, Ricky Watters and Matt Forte. They all could catch the ball out of the backfield and could occasionally line up in the slot.

But why reach for them when McCaffery is fresh on everyone’s minds?   

Bottom line. I’ve watched Skattebo. I watched Jayden Daniels. I watched Brandon Aiyuk. I know a prospect when I see one.

Skattebo is legit.

Compare him to a pinball. Compare him to a bumper car with a V8 engine. Compare tackling him to being blindfolded and trying to catch a brick.

Just make sure you’re calling him an eight-year or 10-year pro who’ll be a solid contributor to any NFL backfield he steps into.

And, yes, Cam Skattebo is a white running back.

Reach Moore at [email protected] or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore.