As morbid as it sounds, the clock eventually strikes midnight in every Cinderella story. “And they lived happily ever after.” That’s a pipedream unfounded in truth. Every sliver of fairy dust is exacted with an antidote of reality in college football. See, prosperity isn’t linear nor perpetual in sport. If you’re good right now, it doesn’t guarantee you’ll remain so. Even bluebloods such as Alabama and Michigan aren’t excluded from a possible blip. The inverse is also true. So when a flailing ASU program manages to have a great season under 2nd-year HC Kenny Dillingham, they yearn to do everything to make their fairytale persevere.

2024 marked a reincarnation of sorts for the ASU Sun Devils. After going 3-9 in year 1 of the Kenny Dillingham era, Arizona State was an afterthought. Certainly nationally, but even in the Big 12. But they had other plans. Winning the conference was already commendable. But their performance in the Peach Bowl brought about a wave of acknowledgment that, honestly, was more than merited. ASU channeled their inner David and almost slayed Texas’ Goliath. But the standards have been set now. Coach Dillingham is staring down the barrel of a season where he goes from unassuming underdogs to cherished champions. His efforts to sustain this dreamy run have brought along a fresh face to Tempe.

According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, ASU is hiring John Wozniak as an offensive analyst. He previously occupied the capacity of a running backs coach with Oklahoma State from ‘17 through to ‘24. Wozniak brings some big-time experience and know-how to Kenny Dillingham’s staff. His experience coaching tailbacks is an especially intriguing wrinkle, given ASU has just lost their star RB, Cam Skattebo, to the allure of the NFL. While Wozniak’s contract details haven’t been made public, it’s fair to assume ASU dropped a bit of a bag here. For context, John Wozniak raked in $425k annually at Oklahoma State.

ASU’s modus operandi on offense last season was running the football. A potent rush game behind a solid O-line—the traditionalists’ favorite route to success. What made the running game so good was how QB Sam Leavitt complemented it. The two-punch of Leavitt and Skattebo inflicted a ton of pain on the opposition’s defenses. Now that Skattebo’s gone, Dillingham will hope to make up for the deficit with Wozniak’s acumen and prowess in developing the position group. It’s all intrinsically linked—the quality of the run game will reciprocally dictate how well Leavitt’s pass game does. 

You’ve got to keep striking while the iron is hot. Kenny Dillingham has some momentum behind his program now. However, he’s got no room to maneuver, no chance of resting on his laurels. Arizona State won seven 1-score games last season. That’s how closely they’re treading the margins between being conference champions and the abyss of mediocrity. Losing Cam Skattebo unequivocally tips the scales against them. It remains to be seen whether John Wozniak’s arrival balances things out. 2025 will say much about whether the Sun Devils were a flash in the pan or are here to stay. As for Skattebo himself, the NFL Draft process isn’t treating him particularly well.

Cam Skattebo bids adieu to Kenny Dillingham straight into some condescension

The 2025 draft class is widely touted as the absolute best RB class in recent iterations. Revered draft analyst Todd McShay cosigns and is a proponent of this claim. Cam Skattebo is baked into why, but so are a bunch of his contemporaries. Standing out in a stacked group of running backs is proving to be a challenge for Cam. FOX’s Joel Klatt conjured a list of the Top-5 RBs in the class of ‘25. Being a CFB savant who covers the sport extensively, his verdict holds weight. It wouldn’t fall on deaf ears within front offices and scouting circles. Unfortunately, Skattebo didn’t make the cut.

Cam Skattebo put up more than 1700 rushing yards during the 2024 season. He took it to the end zone 21 times rushing and a further 3 times receiving. While averaging just shy of 6 yards per carry. Kenny Dillingham certainly doesn’t need reminding how Skattebo, who finished 5th in Heisman voting,  was at the crux of his team’s success. He carried this momentum from college into the NFL Combine, too. While he only participated in the jumping drill, Cam left his mark—as he tends to do in places. Skattebo’s vertical jump of 39.5 inches ranked 5th among all players down in Indy. Within his position group, it ranked 2nd. His broad jump of 10 feet and 3 inches ranked 6th among his position group. 

Maybe Joel Klatt’s done him a disservice, or maybe he’s not merited a spot in the T5. But Skattebo shall remain a cult figure etched into the annals of ASU football. Coach Dillingham misses his sheer presence in the backfield and locker room when he onboards a coach with an eye on cultivating his next big tailback. John Wozniak and RB1-elect Kanye Udoh, who transferred over from the Army Black Knights this off-season, have their work cut out. Gotta get those Cinderella glass slippers off and get some cleats on.